Heroic League: Of Heroes And Villians
by Hardman 5509
Summary: Follow the adventure of a unique hero, Syl, and the most famous heroes and heroines of all time! Rated T for safety. Please review! FLAMES ARE ACCEPTED!
1. Spirited Boy And The Hero Of Courage

**HARDMAN STUDIOS PRESENTS:**

AN LAST MINUTE PRODUCTION:

**THE HEROIC LEAGUE**

**Starring:**

Link (_Legend of Zelda_)

Mario (_Mario_ game series)

Sonic (_Sonic The Hedgehog_)

Sora (_Kingdom Hearts_)

Luffy (_One Piece_)

Naruto _(Naruto_)

Yusuke (_Yu Yu Hakusho_)

Yoh (_Shaman King_)

Goku (_Dragonball Z_)

Ichigo (_Bleach_)

Edward (_Fullmetal Alchemist_)

Cloud (_Final Fantasy VII_)

Spyro (_Spyro_ game series)

Rayman (_Rayman_ game series)

Ratchet & Clank (_Ratchet & Clank_ game series)

Samus Aran (_Metroid_ game series)

Fox (_Star Fox_)

Megaman (_Original, X, Legends, Battle Network_)

Kirby (_Kirby_ game series)

Danny Phantom (_Danny Phantom_)

Aang (_Avatar: The Last Airbender_)

Ben 10 (_Ben 10_ series)

Hsien-Ko (_Darkstalkers_)

Bo-bobo (___Bobobo__**-**____bo Bo-bobo__)_

_And a new character first appearing in this chapter!_

**PART ONE: OF HEROES OF VILLIANS**

**CHAPTER 1: THE SPIRITED BOY/HERO OF COURAGE**

_Many worlds exist. Scientists often discuss this, wondering how many there are, how to get to them, and what lives on them. In truth, every work of fiction creates and maintains a world. When an author makes his character die, the character on that said world will die. Some stories create entire universe, adding on to the macroverse._

_This story is about a boy who sets out to explore it, and save it from evil. But first, forming a team consisting of the greatest heroes and heroines would be his first step…_

**HYRULE:**

The countryside was sunny and bright. A slight wind was blowing from the east, from the clear sky. A boy, teen-aged, walked towards the castle in the distance.

His name was Syl (vin) Yale Wallace. He was sixteen, going on seventeen in a few months. He's hair was messy, semi-curly (smalls curls, but mostly messy) and dark brown (it looked black) unlike his regular brown eyes. His face looked semi-childish, but the slight mustache and beard left everyone without a doubt he was a teen. His glasses made him look like a nerd, yet he was not. No doubt from me.

On to the clothes. He wore blue jeans with black, white, and yellow Nikes.

He wore a blue, black, and white Class Club jacket with the collar turned up, and under it was a black t-shirt that had a spot of blood on it as design and there were the words etched into it, _IB '08._

He was walking towards the castle in distance, like I said before. He would stop to look at other things, like the Kokiri Forest, or the Lon Lon Ranch, because he was so interested in the land. It was first time here and won't be his last. He took his time, he wasn't in a hurry.

He finally reached Castle Town in an hour. Unfortunate for the hero, he had no money. And, adding on, he was too lazy to kill some monsters for rupees. It didn't matter. He wasn't going to need for the scheme to meet member # 2.

He walked towards an apple stand that was next to some soldiers. He was going to need them to get into the castle. It was illegal, oh well. So he stole an apple from the cart right under the shop owner's eye. So the owner said

"Hey, what's the big idea? You think you're a pro?"

"Yes. I'm stealing this apple to get arrested. Can you help me?" replied Syl, eating the apple in the progress.

I forgot to mention that Syl is a smart-aleck. Sorry, that is, without an doubt, the most useful bit of info you need to know about Syl. My sincerest apologizes.

The owner looked confused. Regardless, he called the soldiers over.

"This man is eating an stolen apple and saying he wants to be arrested! He's crazy!" said the bewildered man.

"What're you trying to do?" asked the soldier to Syl, still munching on the apple.

Syl took his time. He ate the apple until the core, then threw it away in a pail, THEN answered the question.

"Go to jail. Can I? Please?"

Now the soldiers were bewildered. Wouldn't you if somebody wanted to get arrested?

"So, wise guy, huh? I should bring you in. Would you like that?" said one of the soldiers, half-sarcastically, half-smart aleck.

"Sure! I need to get into the castle to see somebody!" replied Syl.

A crowd gathered to see "The Boy Who Wanted To Be Arrested." They thought he was a insane man. Others thought it was a publicity stunt. It was a sight to see. Never had the acclaimed soldiers of the royal family of Hyrule looked so confused!

Let's skip forward a few minutes. They finally arrested him, on the charge of stealing and rudeness to the law.

They took a wooden sword. It was a bokken, a Japanese wooden sword; it was black, with light brown wrapping hilt with the kanji 'honor' and 'strength' etched on it.

"So, what were planning to with this?" the second soldier asked.

"My original plan was to bash your heads in that, but, oh you know, I'm in favor of peace, dudes,"

So the guards took him to the castle jail, tired of listening to him.

He stayed in his cell for an hour, playing tic-a-toe with himself using a marker he had with him, until he realized that was stupid to play it alone, so he decided to escape and meet with the man he was looking for.

"Hey, old man! How do I escape from this cell? I'm in a hurry!" he shouted to his neighbor, a jail veteran who was in here for stealing from the royal family.

"What? You crazy? Every lock in this jail is different! You have to be a lockpicking master to pull this one off! Believe me, I'm a master!" shouted back the old man.

Syl smiled, got up and went to the door. He put his index finger right near the lock. A small, blue light came from the lock and a clicking sound came soon afterwards. Syl pushed the door open, and left.

The old man was stunned. When Syl reached the stairs, the old man shouted, "Can you get me out too? I help, didn't I?"

Syl replied,

"No. You're a master. I'm pretty sure you can do it." And he dashed off.

He found his sword next to one of the guards who jailed him, taking a nap. Syl smiled and ran to the top floor.

As if you didn't guess, the person who Syl was looking for was Link, the Hero of Courage. He was talking to Zelda in the throne room about the rising numbers of Moblins in the countryside when the other soldier who arrested Syl came in.

"Milady, I've just captured an insane man who wanted to come into the castle to be arrested. I think he was a terrorist!" he reported to his queen, who he secretly despised. His plan was going into action very soon…

Zelda thought for a moment, closing her eyes and brought her hands up to under her nose in mid-thought. Opening her eyes, she said, "Take him for questioning. The last 'terrorist' you caught was an actor." There was a slight slime on her face.

He was forced to reply, "Yes, right away."

That's the reason why he hates her. She's right, he's wrong. It's true.

As he walked out, he ran into someone. Before he could mutter an apology, he was taken back to find the kid he arrested to standing right there!

"Yes, and here I am. Ready for questioning!" he said, walking in and shaking Link's hand, "Nice to meetcha. And, of course, the beautiful Princess Zelda." And he did a curtsy, kissing the out-stretched hand of Zelda. As Impa entered, she do was given the same warm reception. She was a bit confused, but took it as a sign of respect.

"Seems your 'terrorist' is one of the nice ones, huh? Once again, you've shown bad judgment, soldier." Said Zelda, obviously pleased with Syl. "What is your name, young man?"

"It's Syl…" he did a pose, "Yale…" he did one more pose, "Wallace! Nice to meetcha! In fact, the reason I got arrested was to see you and Link!" Zelda did a small giggle, and even Impa smiled a bit. Impa even said, "That's the single most stupidest thing I have heard. And yet, daring. I admire that." The soldier, however, wasn't happy about this. He yelled at Syl

"You used me? To see the princess? HOW DARE YOU!!!"

"I told you, I WANTED to see somebody. Sorry that you're not smart to listen."

"WHY YOU LITTLE!!!! (Guys has problems, ain't he?)

"You're dismissed, soldier. I saw enough."

The last straw that broke the camel's back just happened. The soldier was going to it. You don't need three guesses.

He replied with a sigh, "Before I go, can I give a gift?"

"Fine. What is it?"

He got closer and slowly pulled out a knife. Do the deed, jump out the window before Impa and Link could react. Perfect…

Expect, before he could stab the princess, the knife was punched out of his hand and a second fist rammed into his face, knocking him back to the floor.

And Syl looked serious doing that.

Zelda was scared. Ganon had tried time after time to kill her, but this was a regular man who wanted her dead. It was a different scale. Link and Impa guarded her when the soldier got up.

He faced Syl. He snarled, "What's your problem? You dumb? You hit a guard of the royal family! You're in hot water now!"

And Syl replied, "You have problems. You need a quack, because you are one!" The soldier was seriously demented. Syl thought of an idea in three seconds flat. He took his jacket off showing his thin arms. Link and Impa quickly noticed three marks on his right arm.

"Toro! Toro! Come on bull-butt! Toro!" said the mighty bull fighter Syl to his opponent, The Curiously Un-Named Soldier who was charging towards him.

"Ole!" The soldier missed. "Ole, dos!" The soldier missed again. "Your down by two strikes and no balls. Hey, batter batter! Hey, batter batter! SWING!" At this, the soldier charged one last time, missing Syl completely and ran out the window he planned on his escape.

"He's out the window!" shouted a soldier who heard the noise.

"He landed in the moat!" shouted another soldier.

"He climbing out." said Zelda.

"He's screaming profanely…" said Impa.

Syl threw a rock at him.

"He's knocked out." Finally said Syl.

So the soldiers went down to throw in the dungeon.

"I thank you, dear Syl." Said Zelda after all that. "I owe you my life."

"In that case, I want to talk to Link, I need to talk to him."

Link said, in a historic moment to be recorded, "In what to all the trouble you caused came to ask me?"

"Hey, he speaks! He actually said something!"

"He thinks before speaking, replied Impa. "He's very careful about what he says. He once said, "I remain quiet to balance out the loud-mouthed people."

"Like the owl?"

Link said, "Yes. Even him and Navi. Anyway, what's the issue that you wish to talk about?"

Syl replied to Link what he say about 23 times more in this part of his story…

"I want you to join a league of heroes and heroines to protect every world!"

Everybody was taken back by this. Was this boy really addled?

But before anyone could inquire any further, a soldier came in to the room and announced, "Prince Celestial of Liatelec Kingdom wishes to see you, Milady!" Everybody but Syl got a stern look, leaving him confused. Zelda agreed, and in came Celestial.

Syl almost laughed at him. Between the over-flowing white-and-gold peacock-like dress, the long handle-bar mustache, or his pose was completely snobby.

"My beautiful future Queen! We will soon be married, and our grand kingdoms will become one! I suggest we have a party to announce the grand news!"

Syl looked very surprised. A man (though hard to tell) marrying Zelda that wasn't Link? Had this world lost its marbles? (Syl then figured marbles hadn't been invented yet.)

He turned to Impa and asked, "Who...hrrk…hee…is…hoo…this…heh…freak?"

"Manners. This prince is engaged to Zelda because of some sort of ties connected to his kingdom. Yes, he's weird, but he is royalty. Show some respect!"

"Link looks troubled. Why so?"

"I think he doesn't like Celestial. I don't either, but he seems different…"

"Love for Zelda?"

Impa paused. "Possibly."

After two whole minutes of listening to Prince Peacock, he left. Syl, at the very moment, burst out laughing. Zelda didn't look happy. She said,

"Excuse me! That was an important guest, a prince never the less!"

"Yeah right! I can find more princes like him in an alleyway!"

"You may go home now! You're dismissed."

"Can't." Syl looked and sounded serious.

"Why not?"

"'Cause I can't go back."

"Where are from?"

"Earth. It seems I'm hated in both worlds now."

Tired, Syl left the very surprised group. Link followed after.

It was night when Link found Syl under a tree. Immediately, Syl said,

"I don't like Earth. I hate a certain person beyond belief. Celestial emits the same aura as that person."

"Did the person give you the marks?"

"You saw…? Those aren't marks, they're scars." He rolled up his jacket.

There were three. The one on the left was peanut-shaped, and wider than the other two. The middle one was long and skinny, taking the shape of a curved dagger. The right one was smaller than the rest, but seemed deeper.

"I rather not talk about it right now." He said, as he rolled the jacket back down. "A second for hating Celestial is that…well…a feeling."

"The feeling that you know is something is up and you don't what it is?"

"Yeah. It's there, I just can't find it."

"It will come to you."

They're quiet for a few minutes, looking into the night sky as they could the party over in a huge building down the hill going at full swing. The silence was disturbed when Syl asked,

"You don't like Celestial because he took Zelda, don't you?"

Link calmly replied, "I couldn't get Zelda ever. I'm not royalty."

"If you were, would you want Zelda?"

"…" Link seemed uncertain.

"Come on. I know you want her. Just admit it. Let it go."

"Syl, I don't fully trust you yet. I can't just tell you. And I can't leave Zelda or Hyrule for your quest."

"I'm not going to force you. Guess I head to the next world and try my luck there…"

An explosion was seen and heard from the party. Link sprang to his feet and ran to the party. Syl sat still for a moment and grabbed a sword and ran to the party, thinking,

"_This could be it_…"

As you may have guessed, Celestial was really a bad guy, wanting to make Zelda his wife. And he came so close, until Link burst on the scene.

He got a close look around. The soldier, who was going to kill Zelda earlier, had Impa tied up and gagged. All of Celestial's soldiers were either keeping the guest on their feet, or knocking out the guards. Celestial had Zelda tight in her arms, and had a knife in his hands, which had blood on it from the guard Celestial stabbed.

Celestial then declared, "Listen to your new king! This here is my queen, beautiful and eternal. You will worship us, and destroy heretics, such as the 'hero' there. Guards! Arrest and kill him on the spot!"

Link was far the better one. No many how many guards rushed him, Link rolled, side-stepped, slashed his away at the guards. It took a lot to take him down; the entire group had to knock him down. They spread out his arms and legs, and Celestial, still holding the crying Zelda, came to end the hero's life, he said, "This is the beginning of my ideal empire!" when…

_CRASH!!!_

Celestial's face caved in when a fist crashed into it.

He lost his grip on Zelda and his knife, and ran right into two of the guards holding Link, where he was able to escape, and hold Zelda, making her feel safe again.

Celestial turned to his attacker. "How dare you…"

His face received a foot, square in the middle, sending him flying again.

"Hello, Prince Liar! I'm here to kick your ass." Said the smiling Syl (Of course, it was him) holding his sword down to his side. He quickly rushed at the other guards and easily, almost lazily, bash their heads with his sword. Link quickly grabbed his fallen sword and helped Syl to fight off the guards. Syl even chased the ex-solider around before the un-named solider, once again, fell out a window.

After the guards were knocked out and the guests and Zelda were safe, the two confronted Celestial…

…who had called for reinforcements armed with crossbows that held bomb arrows.

"**ON MY MARK, KILL THE HERETICS!!!"** he yelled to his men.

"Guy got a problem, doesn't he?" remarked Syl.

"Off the medicine I see, Celestial?" also remarked Link.

"Good one!"

**"THAT'S IT!!!! FIRE!!!!"**

Syl pushed Link out the way, and took the full blow.

Link and the others were horrified. Celestial had one heck of an artillery. Even Link would have a problem…

"That's all?" came a voice from the smoke.

Now it was Celestial's turn to be horrified. The boy was supposed to be dead. How?…

"Let me tell you something, Celestial. People take one look at me, and think I'm a weakling, spineless, no muscle. Nothing just brains. That's far off the mark. I'm fail in some subjects, and I'm ready for a challenge." Footsteps were heard. A dark outline of Syl appeared, and he was holding his sword on his shoulder. It looked it was glowing.

"People like you want to have complete control over everything, even people's lives. The person who gave me my scars was one of those people. I refuse to let people like you exist. You can take away lives, loved ones, possessions, everything that a person owns in there lives. But, there is one thing you can't ever take. Their spirit, their drive. And that,…"

He emerged from the smoke.

"…is my weapon."

His sword was enveloped in a blue aura, taking the shape to a bigger size.

"Spirit, my power into my weapons, body and even people. It's hard to master, and yet can be used to move even the biggest planets. Come Liar, let's finish your mission. I see a heretic and his group, so I'll take care of them." He crouched down, sword at his side, ready to slash.

Celestial's men drew their weapons…

"Spirit Crescent Wave!"

"Celestial ducked, but his men weren't so lucky. They were sent flying, as if they were hit by a motorcycle. Celestial charged at Syl, snarling.

"Celestial, I done fighting you." He held his sword into a striking position over his head. When Celestial came close enough, Syl darted past him, stabbing his sword forward.

"Spirit…Flying Thorn" Celestial collapsed.

"You're lucky. The Spirit doesn't draw blood. You live in pain and a cell for the rest of your live. Good-bye." His sword lost the aura, and walked off as the soldiers arrested him and his minions. His par in Syl's story was over.

Syl put his sword back into the belt ring. He walked to the amazed Link and Zelda. Impa ran over to the princess and asked, "Milady, are you fine? Hurt in any way?"

She replied, "I'm going to need a new dress."

Impa smiled. "I get the tailors to make you a new one."

Link walked over to Syl and put his hand on his shoulder. "That was amazing what you did out there. I do believe you going to have a pretty good long adventure ahead you."

"Now about my offer…"

"I told you, I have to stay here…"

"You have my permission."

Both Link and Syl turned their heads over to Zelda. She looked happy.

"Zelda, I…"

"Link. I want you to see new worlds, train to become stronger than ever before, and return to us when you want to. Impa can protect me for a while."

"Zelda…" Link was both happy and sad at the same time.

"Don't worry, Princess. I take very good care of your friend." Replied Syl.

Zelda smiled. This was a sign of good will, and Link found himself smiling too. He could use a new adventure into new worlds…

He shook hands with Syl, and he was No.2 of the newly founded Heroic League…

END CH.1:THE SPIRITED BOY/HERO OF COURAGE

That's the end of the first chapter of the first part of the first half.

Yes, the main character is me. Just has my looks, and my personality. Regardless, he's not perfect. He'll have his day, and then I'll torture him in the next chapter.

I'll accept comments on how to approve this story. I'll update whenever.

I don't own any characters expect for Syl and Celestial.

Also, COMMENT!!! Enjoy the story!!!

-Sylvin Wallace


	2. Mr Video Game

****

HERIOC LEAGUE: EPIC 2: MR. VIDEOGAME

'**Exploring, We Go' ****by Sylvin Wallace**

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

_Ore kan sho kyousei monogoto (I have seen many of great things)_

_Datte, mada, kon issai arata (But, yet, this all new)_

_Ore kibou tame suuta kyousei abanchu-ru (I hope to have many great adventures)_

_soukou motte maro (traveling with you)_

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

_Kyousei monogoto tachi o hon houto (Many things stand in our way,)_

_Mada, chin kan shouri (yet, we can win.)_

_Tsukkomu harukani! (Let's go far!)_

* * *

Well, that sucked. First time writing a song, let alone one in _Japanese!_ The translator wasn't that good, so if you can find a better one, drop me a line, o.k.?

I don't own any characters expect Syl, Celestial, and a new one…

On to the story!

* * *

After a short trial, Prince Celestial (Real name: Gregory James) was sentenced to jail time of 70 years. His soldiers plea bargained and got only 10 years. And so, Syl and Link went to sleep for the night, in the best beds in the castle.

The next day, it was time to say good-bye.

Syl stretched for a bit while Link talked with Zelda.

"Milady, are you sure that you want me to go with this boy? What if Ganondorf escapes?"

"Link, Hyrule has been quiet for a while now. I'm sure that Ganondorf while be fine for now."

Impa looked unsure. Syl looked on and thought that maybe Zelda was stretching the truth a little.

Zelda looked towards and inquired, "I've been meaning to ask you this. You knew that Celestial was a fake. What led to figure it out?"

Syl took a thinker stance, closing his eyes, hand on his chin, clenched, and grinned.

"Well, what tipped me off first was that Celestial wore no royal colors, such as purple. His court manners were a bit off, also. Finally, his acting was a bit flimsy."

"You figured that out? Amazing." Said Impa.

"Yeah. I also noticed that his kingdom was his name backwards. But the others clues were useful too."

(Celestial=Liatselec)

You could imagine the looks on the other's faces now.

"Well, I enjoyed this chat, but it's time to go. Now if you girls want any souvenirs…"

"Just show me the complete team. I would like to meet them."

Syl smiled, and took out from his jacket a light blue flask.

"Introducing the Spirit Flask! It takes me where I need to go, including here! It's made from Spirit Water, from a Spirit Well, collected by only a Spirit Sage…"

Impa said silently, though within earshot, "While wearing Spirit Robes, chanting Spirit Prayers and eating Spirit Bread…"

Syl turned around. "Are you mocking me?"

"Oh, no, Syl."

Syl said below his breath, "_What do I see in you?"_

Resuming his position, he held the flask over his head and chanted,

"_Spirit Flask, the power you have is what we need!"_

"_Take us to a land far from here, one we can't reach!"_

"_A Spirit user and a friend require your power!"_

"_Take us to: THE MUSHROOM KINGDOM!!!"_

A bright blue flash, the sound of a whirlwind, and…

Syl and Link were still there.

Syl cleared his throat, and proclaimed,

"Take us to the Mushroom Kingdom!"

A spark came from the bottle.

"MUSHROOM KINGDOM!!!"

Nothing this time.

"YOU STUPID BOTTLE!!! DO EVERYTHING I SAY!!! I'M YOUR MASTER!!!"

Link then asked Syl,

"Can I be the leader now?"

A string of expletives came flowing out of Syl's mouth.

* * *

The court magician examined the bottle. After a minute he proclaimed,

"This bottle is empty."

"What?"

"There is nothing in this bottle."

Syl shouted, "That's impossible! The old man who gave it to me said it a 'very good bottle!" He said he traveled the stars with it…"

One, Two, Three…

"…and used it all up, leaving a drop for one trip. Damn. I'm stuck." He sat down on the steps, his head hanging down.

Zelda then said, "If you're going to the Mushroom Kingdom, we have a warp pipe…"

Syl sat up and did a big grin, returning back to normal. "What're you waiting for? Open it up!"

Zelda, with a wave of the hand, brought the warp pipe up. Green and shiny it raised up, and Syl jumped on it. Pointing to Impa, he said,

"Catch you on the flip side!" and sunk into the pipe.

Link followed suit and jumped on and waved good-bye to Zelda and went down. Zelda laughed a little afterwards, and Impa asked her,

"What's so funny?"

"Syl. 'Catch you on the flip side?' I think he likes you!"

Impa huffed. "He probably find a better looking girl in the next world. Besides Link, for a fact, likes you."

Zelda blushed and replied, "Isn't there something you should be doing?"

Our story ends here, for now.

* * *

**Mushroom Kingdom**

Outside Toad Town, in the fields, a warp pipe appeared. First, a boy in a blue jacket shot out, and then an elf clad in green. After dusting themselves, they had a talk,

"It looks we're off a little."

"We could use the exercise."

And together, they ran towards the town, stomping on Goombas, and kicking Koopa shells. The also collected some coins by bashing blocks. About half-way through, Syl asked Link randomly,

"Do you like Zelda?"

Link kicked a Koopa shell at a couple Goombas and replied, "She's friend. I like it that way."

Syl jumped on a Buzzy Beetle. "I don't think so. You like way more than that, don't you?"

Link looked away. "She's a princess; I'm either considered a knight or a peasant, depending on some situations."

"Link…come on. I've seen it. You two have a thing for each other…"

"Shell's coming back." Link jumped.

"Huh?" The shell ran into him. He jumped up, the familiar tune played, and Syl fell off screen.

World 2-1

(Lives) x4

(Syl:_ Crap!)_

After Syl made it back up to Link (who was sitting on a rock, polishing his sword), they made their way to Toad Town.

"Welcome, travelers, to the Mushroom Kingdom's one-and-only, Toad Town!" welcomed the Toad guard. Syl and Link first used their coins to buy some items from the shop for the go (Syl got into trouble with the shop keeper because Syl had 'made' 10 coins from a yellow marker and some Buzzy Beetle shells. Guess what happened.)

Peach's castle was just down the road. Syl and Link took their time, strolling along the countryside, but as soon they reached a bridge crossing over a river and a lake, a large object came crashing down onto Syl. It's was Wario, ejected from the castle for selling fake jewelry.

"What nice landing! Figured it would-a be painful!"

Syl muttered, "That's because you landed on me, you fat poor slob."

Just for that, Wario farted on Syl. Syl promptly threw off him, causing him to fall off the bridge. Syl got up, and noticed Link was holding his nose.

"You stink. Take a bath and don't come near me."

Syl got closer.

After his clothes dried off and after he started to smelled better, they made their way back to the castle. Little did they know, that a smelly menace was coming their way…

* * *

A Toad guard quickly recognized Link, and let them in, rushing to Peach's chambers to get an audience. Syl drew out a bag of pretzels out of the nowhere.

"How…"

"Special Spirit Bag. Like owning a galaxy."

"Why pretzels? And try not to make a mess."

"I like pretzels. Can't stop eating them. You can say that I'm drunk off these things."

"Huh?"

"I'm drunk of pretzels!"

Under his breath, Link muttered, "_Weird kid."_

As if on cue, Link was saved from listening even more random ideals, Peach walked in, wearing her traditional dress.

"Oh! Link! It's to see you! How's Zelda?"

"She's fine."

"And who is the boy eating pretzels on my recently clean carpet?"

Syl threw the pretzels back into the bag (which was inside his jacket.) and was about to say something…

"This is Syl, he wants Mario to join a group of heroes."

Syl whispered, "_I can talk myself you know."_

"_That's the point."_

"So, Syl, where are from? You don't look like a Hylian."

Syl spoke up, and pushed Link back. "I'm from Earth."

"You do? Not to sound rude, but you don't look anything special…"

Syl signed and withdrawn his sword, the bokken, Black Wood. It became bathed in a blue light, enveloping the sword in it. Peach gasped. Syl, being Syl, showed off, flipping his sword up and down, and spinning it around.

"I say! That's the Spirit power, isn't it? Have seen a user since the Great Mushroom Wars! Good show, old boy! Good show!" said the elderly Toad, Toadsworth as he walked in.

"Nice to meet someone who already knows about this." Replied Syl.

"Oh ho! Master Link is here too? Why, I wager a guess that you're here to see Master Mario!" replied Toadsworth.

"Yes. Syl here is looking for him…"

"Bit of bad luck, it is! The dread King Bowser has spotted lurking around Old Flamethrower Mountain, so Master Mario and Master Luigi ran off to investigate. Problem is, they haven't been seen in a couple of hours!"

And suddenly, a fat, smelly man burst though, his smell so bad, the guards didn't have chance. Yup, Wario followed the two heroes to the castle, and made a rude appearance to both the guards and the princess.

"Peachy! That wasn't nice, what you did to me! Throwing me out the window like a unwanted insect! I was going to give you a discount, but forget it!"

"Wario, to be blunt, we don't like a lot…"

"Why ought…"

Syl and Link stepped in front of him.

"Tough guys, huh? Move out of my way!"

Syl and Link drew their swords.

"So?"

Syl and Link threw him out a window.

"WAAAAAAAHHHHH…NOT AGAIN!!!"

SPLAT!!!!!

"Dear me! He landed on someone!" said Toadsworth.

"It's Luigi…" said Link.

After Wario was throw off and rolled down a hill back into the river again, Luigi ran at lighting-fast speed into the castle, and reached the audience room panting and breathing hard.

"Master Luigi! What's the problem, old boy? And where's Master Mario?" inquired Toadsworth.

"Mountain…Bowser…trap…plan…kidnap…escape…coming here…"

"Luigi! What's wrong? What're you trying to say?" said a bit scared Peach.

"I think what he is trying to say is that they went to the mountain, Bowser had a laid a trap for them, he made plans for to kidnap Peach, Luigi escaped, and now Bowser is coming here." Said Syl.

"That sound right, anyway." Shrugged Link.

"I know."

Suddenly, the wall with the window that Wario was ejected from twice exploded, and Bowser, in his creepy Koopa Clown, flew in with several Paragoombas.

"Princess Peach! Once again I enter your great castle without permission, to kidnap you again! And this time, no plumber in my way!"

"Hey! What-a about me?" replied Luigi, who caught his breath a bit back.

Bowser grabbed a Paragoomba, and threw it and Luigi, knocking him out.

"Does any wannabe hero want to stand up to the dread might of…"

_Flash!_ He did a random pose.

…THE AWFUL KING BOWSER!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm on fire today! Everything, for once in 20 years, is going perfectly! Mario gets his game over, and I get my best ending! Nobody can stop me!"

Syl and Link stepped in front of him.

"Link? And…a nerd. I can handle that, no problem!"

Syl and Link drew their swords.

Bowser promptly grabbed the tips, and threw both of them over his head, and they fell out the hole into the moat.

Luckily, it was full of water.

Bowser grabbed Peach, and jumped into the Clown car…

_Bowser: Use the full name!_

_Author: Hey! You can't do that! Never mind…_

Jumping into his Koopa Clown Car, he and Princess Peach flew off towards Old Flamethrower Mountain.

"You know, Bowser is much heavier than Wario, believe it or not." Said Link as he bobbed up and down in the moat. Syl came up, and let loose a steam of water from his mouth.

"Didn't go as I thought it would. Guess it's up to us save both Mario and the Princess. You up for it?" said Syl, extending his hand out.

Link smiled. Their hands met, and after a quick shake, dragged themselves out of the moat.

* * *

"Eh wot? You sure that you want to confront Bowser?" said a surprised Toadsworth.

Syl replied, "Well, there's not much of a choice, is there? I bet he's not going to help." Pointing to a sleeping Luigi. Toadsworth thought for a moment.

"I guess you two could free Master Mario and save her highness with a single spot of problem. I'm leaving it in your hands now, young masters!"

Link asked a question that he would regret in the next minute. "What's the fastest way to Old Flamethrower Mountain?"

"Well…"

* * *

"I hate you Link. This is going to KILL us!"

Stuffed into a huge cannon, both heroes were very uncomfortable.

Link was silent.

"Ready, chaps? Peach's Express Super Cannon to Old Flamethrower Mountain is ready to go in one minute!"

"Wait!" shouted Syl. (He was below Link.)

"What is it?"

"Did Mario and Luigi use this cannon?"

"No. They said they prefer to walk. Anyway, good luck, and all that wot! 3, 2, 1, BLAST OFF!!!"

"WAIT…EEEEEEHHHOOOOO-WWWWWWEEEEEEE!!!!"

They were sent in a heartbeat to Bowser's new lair. (Temporary.)

* * *

The landing was not pleasant.

They landed on to the rocky surface, and rolled for some distance, until some rocks stopped the rolling and hurt their backs.

Groaning and moaning, they got up and followed the tracks of a Goomba deep into the mountain.

"You know, if Wario hadn't knocked out the guards, we could been prepared for Bowser." Said Syl to take some time out of the walking.

"Syl, not to go off subject, but why did you try to hit on Impa? She does have her points, but why?"

"Guess I'm attached to unique woman, that's all. And yet…" Syl looked solemn.

"What?"

"I can't go too far in a relationship."

"Why not? You would make a nice loved one."

"I'm not part of the world's timeline. I just can't jump in and marry some important person. It's…it's…like meddling. If I want to marry, I find someone on my world. Just doing this is messing up the timeline. I just want one thing…"

"What's that?"

"To see people happy. I enjoy doing that."

Link thought, "_He's…a nice guy. I guess that's why he's so weird._

They went quiet for the rest of the walk.

* * *

They finally reached a cliff, overlooking a pit of lava, and Bowser's makeshift lair. Minions stood around all over the place, with Mario in a cage, while Bowser was talking to Peach, who wasn't even looking at him.

Mario looked up and saw Link. Happy, he hopped up and down and waved towards him. Syl motioned to be quiet, and Mario stopped before his guard noticed. The two snuck down, while Bowser talked to Peach.

"Come on, Princess! Everyone knows that dig me! That's why I easily capture you each time!" Bowser said with a flourish. Peach sighed.

"No. This time was just dumb luck! I bet Link and Syl will rescue me and Mario and have a fun time beating you!"

Bowser smiled faded. "Syl. That's the nerd's name, isn't it? Don't worry. When they get here, it's time for Mario to take the plunge! See?"

He pointed to a cage that had his two minions tied.

"HUH?"

"Oh, King Bowser!"

"YOU!!!"

Syl, Link and Mario stood over the fallen bodies of Bowser's army.

"It's-a time-a for you to go home!" shouted Mario.

"What! You destroyed it! I'm not moving back into the junk pile! Let's go!"

"That's-a my line! Let's-a go!"

**Music: Super Mario RPG: Battle Theme**

SYL Attacked!

BOWSER took 31 damage!

_Syl: Huh? The crap?_

_Author: For now, to speed the story up, I made it in RPG format!_

_Link: This guy is weirder than you, and he is you!_

_Mario: What have I gotten myself in to?_

LINK used Bombs!

BOWSER took 56 damage!

MARIO used a Power 'Shroom!

MARIO'S Attack is doubled!

BOWSER used Flame Breath!

SYL took 43 damage! SYL is burned!

**Outside of battle:**

"I'M ON FIRE!!! I'M ON FIRE!!! I'M ON FIRE!!!" Syl repeated over and over, grabbing his rear and hopping up and down.

**Back to battle:**

SYL used Spirit Fist!

BOWSER took 67 damage!

LINK used a Status Helper!

SYL is longer burned! BONUS!: Healed 10 HP!

MARIO used Jump!

_Press 'A' at the right time for extra damage!_

_Good! 10 damage._

_Great! 20 damage._

_Wonderful! 30 damage._

_Excellent! 40 damage._

_SUPER! 60 damage!_

BOWSER took 60 damage!

BOWSER used a Limit Potion!

BOWSER: LIMIT BREAK!

SYL attacked!

HI-POWER HIT! BOWSER took 97 damage!

LINK attacked!

BOWSER took 39 damage!

MARIO used Fireball!

BOWSER took 19 damage!

BOWSER: LIMIT BREAK: KOOPA FIRE SPIN.

SYL took 54 damage!

LINK took 39 damage!

MARIO took 35 damage!

SYL: LIMIT BREAK!

LINK used a Party Potion!

ALL: Healed 50 HP!

SYL: LIMIT BREAK LV.1 : SPIRIT CRUSHER!

BOWSER took 111 damage!

BOWSER defeated!

**Music: Super Mario RPG: Victory Fanfare**

Gained: 34 Coins.

56 EXP.

SYL LEVELED UP! (LV.6)

Syl: WOOHOO! I like that!

SYL LEARNED: SPIRIT BEAM

LINK LEVELED UP! (LV.8)

Link: It's feels good to do that.

* * *

Bowser collapsed. He groaned in despair,

"Ah, darn it! I can't EVER win! First it's the Laurel and Hardy plumbers, and now a nerd and a elf beat me! I feel weak…"

"Yeah! You're messed with member #3 of the Heroic League! Beware, King Bowser! There will be a total of 25 members when I'm done! And now, BEGONE FOUL BEAST!" and just like that, he kicked Bowser far away.

Peach ran towards Mario and hugged him. "Mario! Are you o.k.?"

"I'm-a fine, princess! I should thank Link, and that's Syl, right?"

"Yes. They want you to join their group."

"Well, it's seems-a that I already joined. Member #3, right?"

Syl looked on. "Yes. I want you to join the Heroic League, a league composed of many numerous heroes and heroines! We're still recruiting, and we'll be off to pick up member # 4. Want to come along?"

"I'm-a ready!"

"Right-o! Off we go!" Syl walked off towards the exit.

Mario asked Syl, "And where are we going?"

"Where did you think? We're off to get Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Realizing what he said, he stopped.

Toadsworth could have sworn to Mario say 'No!" all the way in the garden.

* * *

Bowser landed in a forest surrounding the forest. He sat up and thought,

"A league of heroes, huh? That sound bad for me and my plans. I bet Ganondorf would have some problems too."

He thought for a minute. The wax candle lit up in his mind.

"What we need is a league of _villains! _They shall be called…The Villainous League! No…how about… The Super Bowser Team!...No!...Darn, I'm hungry. I'll think later."

* * *

A figure had watched the battle from a cliff overlooking Old Flamethrower Mountain. He smiled.

"Look at him. Acting like a 4th grader after a set of action figures. I'll wait until he has the complete set, and I shall appear, like a limited edition figurine, he will chase after me, doing what I what to be done, and deny him in the end. Yes, Sylvin Wallace, you will meet the great Damian Maxmillion Creed Ledgethorn, and we shall a duel not to be forgotten…"

He vanished.

* * *

END OF EPIC 2.

COMING SOON:

EPIC 3: THE BLUE BLUR

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Well, that concludes chapter two. Damian Maxmillion Creed Ledgethorn's middle name is a name of a Facebook friend. Damian Ledgethorn is my original character who will appear in future chapters. Will post a character reference in the next chapter.**

**PLEASE COMMENT!!! FLAMES ARE ACCEPTED!!!**

'_**Ciao!' **__Dimentio, Super Paper Mario._


	3. The Blue Blur

**HEROIC LEAGUE: EPIC 3: THE BLUE BLUR**

'**Exploring, We Go' ****by Sylvin Wallace**

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

_Ore kan sho kyousei monogoto (I have seen many of great things)_

_Datte, mada, kon issai arata (But, yet, this all new)_

_Ore kibou tame suuta kyousei abanchu-ru (I hope to have many great adventures)_

_soukou motte maro (traveling with you)_

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

_Kyousei monogoto tachi o hon houto (Many things stand in our way,)_

_Mada, chin kan shouri (yet, we can win.)_

_Tsukkomu harukani! (Let's go far!)_

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

* * *

**CHARACTER PROFILES: NO. 1: SYL WALLACE**

_**Author:**__ Ladies and Gentlemen: I present, SYL WALLACE!!!_

_**Syl: **__Thank you, Cleveland!!! (Elvis:) Thank you. Thank you very much._

_**Author:**__ Shut up! Now hold still. It's profile time!_

**HEAD: **To start, Syl's head. He has medium-long dark brown hair, but it looks black. He would prefer to be black, as his eyes are also brown. His hair is semi-curly, but he prefers it to be straight, so it's curly in the back of his head, and in the front.

He wears glasses, but, they're supposed to be circular lens, but due to a recent problem, they're now rectangular now, and have clip-on sunglasses. He keeps the clip in the bag.

His facial hair is a small mustache and beard, he keeps his sideburns shaved.

**BODY: **His height is 5 ft., 8 in. Doctors have said he stopped growing a while back, but who can tell? He weighs at an average 148 pounds, and is found. His muscles are average, also. Both his hands and legs are long. His stomach size is normal.

**CLOTHES: **A further detail of Syl's clothing. His shirt is completely black, with a red blood-shaped mark with _IB '08_ in the middle of it. It stands for Image Bureau, a company that his dad worked for. It was for the 2008 river trip, and has a parody of The Spirit movie poster, now re-titled, _The River Wants Blood"_

His pants are non-descript. He wears blue jeans in the fall and winter, and khaki cargo shorts in the spring and summer.

His jacket his something he has is one that he loves to a great degree, a boy-to-object relationship. It's mainly blue, but has a black inside, and large white lines going down his arms. He wears the collars upright to how his rebellious nature, but also to protect him from cold, says he.

He has his symbol etched into his left shoulder jacket. It's a blue box, with a thin Irish clover green border, with small blue triangles in each corner. A square-like clover with a blue 'S' is in the middle with the clover having a thick black border, with several patterns of blue areas. I post it later, somewhere.

His shoes change from sneakers with socks in the fall and winter, to flip-flops and sock-less sneakers in the spring and summer.

**PERSONALITY: **Upbeat, changing. You can't describe Syl in just one word, or even one sentence. You need a small book to explain him. But I'll try my best with the space I got.

Syl can change his emotions at will, making him a very good actor/spy. He spends most his time as a happy person, talking in a nice, friendly tone, acting like he was in the past two chapters. He's also a tad bit evil like this, doing what he can, a puppeteer. His pranks and jokes led to new changes of his, and sometimes everybody, liking. He can be very cocky, and taunt villains with little respect.

When he is normal or somewhat sad, he is distant, and shy. He won't talk as much, and acts more sincere. He starts to become heroic at this point. When he's angry, he acts more violent, and tends to blame others. It's best to avoid him at that point.

Syl is willing to protect his friends at any cost, and give his life to protect strangers, especially if it's a women or child.

Syl, to be VERY blunt, loves ladies. He does have his preference, it does range, depending on certain factors. You saw him talking very friendly way towards Impa of the first chapter, and he does this a lot more. However, he won't get serious with him, due to a reason he reveal at a later point.

He's a carefree, lazy, smart, nice, smart-assed, anything along the lines! And now, quotes from the maestro himself!

"_Crap!"_

"_Screw you!"_

"_Well, I have [Insert Item he holds up]. I win!"_

_Many different variations of "kicking your ass", depending on his mood and situation._

"_Jewish people don't believe in hell, and seeing that I'm Jewish, I can say 'hell' whenever the hell I feel like it."_

"_I'm not a nerd. Just because I wear glasses, and have a large knowledge, doesn't make me a nerd!"_

"…_Do I care about what you think?"_

"_I don't deserve this."_

"_For everyone, everything! I can't be beat, not even by you!"_

"_There's always someone stronger out there. You can't ever say you're the strongest there ever is!"_

"_I can't be beat!"_

**WEAPONS/POWERS:** As detailed in the past two chapters, Syl is a Spirit User, a person, one out of a billion, to get this power. Syl actually got this power from an original User, now dead.

Spirit Power relies on personal energy, and soul power. A powerful soul wields the greatest Spirit Power. Spirit Power can create weapons out of energy, boost abilities, and make the User almost all powerful. There are also limits.

Weapons can't be just created. The User has to hold something to control the energy, so without it, the User can only use beam, sphere, and boost Spirit abilities. That's why Syl carries around his bokken. Also, anything can be used for the Controller, for example, a long stick can be used, but it works better if the Controller was generally a weapon, a stick doesn't too much.

Spirit can be defensive, as it can create shields without a Controller, or barriers. It can heal, but to a minor degree, but works great with de-poisoning. It can be used for flying, but Syl has yet to master controlling his energy like that, it's going to a long time before he can do that.

Syl generally has low stamina, so using excessive amount of Spirit Power too soon will leave him drained. He eats a lot, but what gets him going is his sweet tooth or 'junk food', but Syl is strictly a carnivore, he doesn't eat his veggies!

_**Syl:**__ Well, screw you. I don't care about veggies. There are vegetarians, so why not a meatarian?_

Well, back to profiling!

Syl is a weapons master, but he prefers his black bokken, easily named 'Black Wood', overall, due to it's high power of Spiritual Energy. It's, well, a long black wooden sword, with brown leather wrapping handle, with the kanji of 'honor' and 'strength' etched into the sword, in the coloring of the handle. It has no hilt, as Syl removed it.

Spirit Power doesn't cut, slice, stab, shoot or anything that draws blood. It attacks a person's soul or spirit, not the body. Blood can be drawn if the target is hit hard enough.

There are powers and variations of the Spirit Power, but those will explain later.

There's a lot more than this. I will explain later.

**IMPORTANT LAST NOTE: ****This is bold for a reason. It's important.**

**SYL IS A DREAM VERSION OF ME. AN ALTERNATE** **VERSION OF ME, JUST LIKE OTHERS. PEOPLE CREATE ALTERNATE VERSIONS OF THEMSELVES WHEN THEY DREAM, SO SYL IS ONE VERSION OF ME HAVING A GRAND ADVENTURE. DAMN, I WISH I WAS HERE. SYL IS NOT A GARY-STU, HE DOES HAVE HIS FAULTS. NOR IS HE GAY. NO YOAI! THIS WILL PLAY A PART LATER.**

_**Syl: **__Well, he had a breakdown. On to the story. Tell your friends, spread the word!_

_I don't own anyone but Syl, and the other character I rather leave in the dark for now._

* * *

**Mobius**

It took a little effort, but Mario was finally taken to Sonic's homeworld.

I'm going to have to make this short, due to the intro.

Syl and Link both agreed on Sonic's speed was essicential, but Mario disagreed.

Wavving good-bye, Syl, Link, and a tied Mario left for the warp pipe for Mobius.

Hey, at least Mario was the only one to a good-bye kiss from Peach.

A long story short, Mario was eventually un-tied, and some-what agreed, to a point, to help Sonic to join up.

But, what do they see upon entering Mobius?

Why, a town being bombed by huge blimps!

"Where's little blue when-a you need him?" wondered Mario in a rude way.

Link silently pointed in a direction of another town also under attack, but numberous flashes of blue showed that someone else was on it.

"Shall we?" Syl said as he bowed towards the town.

"Nah, he's so-a fast, he doesn't need-a our help…" Mario started to walk off…

But he was grabbed by Link and dragged to battle.

* * *

The town was in panic, of course. People were running around, trying to avoid the bombs and the burning buildings falling apart. Any medicial personal were having a hard saving people lives and protecting their own.

Where was the protecters of Mobius? Where was Sonic and Co.?

Luckliy, three heroes of same importance arrived and dealed with attackers with ease.

Syl took down a group of robots with his Spirit Crusher, throwing a ball of condensed Spirit Enegry up into the air, jumping up and catching it, and dived right into the group, letting the ball explode on the ground, destroying the robots with ease.

Link saw two things, a doctor and a nurse trying to free a man from a fallen wooden pillar and two big robots coming their way. Killing two birds with one stone, he freed the man and destroyed the robots. Poor robots didn't know that the small man could knock that pillar that far!

Mario took notice of a falling bomb. Quickly, but gently, he grabbed the tip, and threw the bomb as hard as he can. The robot driving a blimp laughed as the bomb fell short, but stopped as a fireball blew the bomb up, making the blimp catch on fire and plumit to outside the town, and explode.

In short, in about three minutes, 3 out of 4 blimps were destroyed. Each person had a chance to destroy one each.

Now, who was going to destroy the last one?

But, two figures came out of the blimp while the team was squabbling.

The first figure was tall and thin. He was mostly grey and had a few black areas. Any noticable features were his long red scarf and cowboy hat. His face looked like a comic villian, big nose and long face.

The second was short, wide and green. His arms were larger than his torso. He had treads. He had a drill nose. His face was a robot's typical.

Boring setences. Woopie-doo.

"Ba-ha-ha-ha! Driver, it looks like your 'menances' aren't that tough!" said the first robot.

Driver (the 2nd robot, of course) replied, "Well, Hopper, in case you're eyes are malfucntioning, that's Mario and Link, two tough guys, right there!"

"Well, what about the other guy? He's a nerd!"

"Hello, he destoyed a blimp with a blue laser? Not even you can do that!"

"Hey, ain't least my name is Pile-Driver! It brings up the thought of dumb people!"

"Is that the best you can do? Hopper makes no sense!"

So they argued. Mario sat down and removed his cap. Link cleaned his sword of machine oil. Syl took out of his bag his bag of pretzels and a flask with the words 'ROOT BEER' on it. It had root beer in it, naturally. As he started to eat and drink, he stopped short, and fired a finger laser at the ground near the two robots. They stopped.

And the story got back on track.

"Intoducing…" started Driver, "Dr. Robotnik's two best minions, Pile-Driver the Swiss Army Robot and Hopper the Einstien!"

…

"Lame." (Do I have to tell you who said that?)

"H-h-ey! Those are good names!"

"There-a pretty stupid." Said Mario, who put his cap back on.

"Well, Dr. Eggman stayed up a entire night to decide those names…" began Driver, when Hopper hit on the head, causing it to spin once.

"Dumb-bolt! Dr. Robotnik doesn't like being called that name!" said Hopper The Einstien. ('Sigh')

…

"I'm going to guess you're not made combat, are you?" asked Link.

Hopper and Driver stopped fighting, and turned around. They smiled.

"We show you what we're made. Driver?"

Driver stepped forward fast, and threw his fist at Link, who blocked at the last second. He flew back, but flipped and landed on his feet, ready. Syl and Mario ran towards Hopper. It's was on. SO on.

Woah. I typed that. I won't do that again.

**Music: FINAL FANTASY V****: BATTLE THEME**

Hopper walked backwars until he found a plasma gun lying on the ground next to a 'dead' robot. Quickly, he dived, grabbed and fired at the two. Syl and Mario took cover. He pulled a blaster pistol seemingly out of nowhere (Really, he had a belt with a holster) Syl, after Hopper's firing stopped, ran out and threw a Spirit Grenade, but Hopper threw a real grenade faster, so Syl was blasted back into a wall. Mario fired a few fireballs, and got back.

Link was on defense with Driver. Like his name, he really pile driving Link. Those big fists could destroyed a ten story buidling with one blow. Finally, with both fists, he started to pile-drie Link into the ground, like a tent pole. When the blows stopped, Link slashed at Driver legs at hard as he could, and yet came up short.

Driver The Swiss Army Robot. He had more arsenal in one arm that Link had ever used.

Like that, Driver's shield protected him, and his bat sent Link 'a-flying.

Hopper was shooting like crazy, preventing either hero from moving. It was funny to Hopper that they weren't doing any thing. Too bad he didn't hear the fire ball and Spirit Sword falling down on him. Suck to be him.

Link was starting to re-gain ground. Driver had switched to a machine gun, which Link's shield was more than capable of blocking the bullet hail. With a well-place bomb arrow, poor Driver's left arm was useless, and when the Master Sword fell into his right shoulder, his arm was paralyzed. Hopper was thrown into him, causing the robots to form a pile.

"Tell Eggy when you get back that he has got a bigger problem." Smirked Syl, as he, Link, Mario, threw the robots back into the blimp. In a second, the blimp was retreating.

The towns were saved.

* * *

Driver and Hopper were flying in the blimp, when something fell into the blimp, thorugh a hole from were the robots were flinged in. It fell into Hopper's hat.

Nobody paid any attention.

* * *

Sonic was surprsied to see a blimp in retreat. Wasn't there another town under attack? Perhaps a friend came in and helped drive off the Eggman/Robotnik menance?

His face fell as he saw Mario cleaning up.

"Don't tell me that a fat plumber beat up all these robots on his own! I thought that you hated me enough to leave me hanging!" shouted Sonic as he approached Mario.

Mario was about to make tonight's barbeque, when Link stopped him.

"Well, that makes more sense. Link! Nice to see you!" He high-fived him, and gave Mario a noogie. Syl threw some robots into a pile and ran towards Sonic. Link began introductions.

"Sonic, this is Syl. He wants to ask you something."

"Yeah, sure. How about we go to my place and talk? We can eat there. Race!"

Even Link laughed as poor Mario was far behind the three running to Sonic's home.

* * *

Robotnik/Eggman was not a happy person.

How could a simple plan fai whne even the hedgehog wasn't even there?

"Why couldn't you even destroy one town? You're built for war, not NORMAL NON-ROBOTIC people! You better have a VERY good reason for me not to turn into something more worth of my time!" he roared as a crippled Driver and banged up Hopper stood there.

"But, your greatness, there were others…" started Hopper, but was knocked down by Robotnik's wrench.

"SILENCE!!! Excuses won't buy anything from me!"

"I have a video…" Driver opened his chest with a good arm, showing a monitor which began playing the battle. (Somehow, unexplained, it got footage from Syl & Mario v.s. Hopper.)

"That's weird. Mario hates Sonic, possibly even more than I do. Link would be here, and who's the kid with the powers…HOPPER! WHAT IS THAT IN THAT HAT!!!!"

Hopper reached up into his hat…and pulled a blue Choas Emerald.

"Where did you get that? Come on, tell me, there's six more where that came from!"

"I didn't even it was there!" Hopper replied back.

"I think I saw a echidna chasing a bat in the sky, but I thought it was just from my brain damage. Dr. Eggman! Nice wig!"

"THAT'S DR. ROBOTNIK!!! But wait! That means the Emerald's protector is probably going to Sonic for help! I can find and steal the rest!"

"GREAT!!!" shouted the two robots happyily.

"You two can clean my lab up while I'm gone."

And like that, he jumped into his Eggmobile and left the two robots in the dust.

* * *

So, at the Sonic household, chillidogs were served, and talk was exchanged.

"So, you want me to join a league to what exactly?" asked Sonic in between chillidogs.

Link looked up from his modest salad. "Syl, that reminds me. Why did you create the league? You never told me or Mario."

Syl stopped eating his no-chilli-chillidog. He smilied a weak one and said,

"What would happen if I said it was just for fun? Heheheh…"

The air was fillied with flying/falling chilli.

"YOU'RE KIDDING-A ME!!! All-a this for nothing?" shouted an clearly angry Mario. First Sonic and now this?

"Wait! I thought I could create a league to, in some way, create an connection between worlds! A brotherhood, amigoship, you know!" Syl managed to get all the chilli out of his hair.

"Syl, I some what expected it to be some sort of big threat that you can't handle." Said Link, keeping his cool.

"What if? What if there is a big threat? I don't know! Nobody can't tell!" shouted Syl in self defense.

The agurement would have gone on longer if Tails hadn't burst in.

"Sonic! Knuckles is here, and he has bad news! Rouge has stolen and lost a Choas Emerald!"

Before anyone could gasp, Knuckles ran in, holding a embrassed-looking Rouge in, and boy, he was far from 'happy'.

"She…dropped…a…Choas…Emerald…after…stealing…it…and…it…fell…into…a…Eggman…blimp…" he said through clenched teeth.

"Hey, you all know me. A thief has to steal, you know." Rogue stated, before Knuckles slapped her.

"Which means Eggman will probably come find me." Said Sonic.

"I'M HOME!!!"

Speak of the devil…but then again, you saw this coming, right?

Everyone rushed outside to see Eggman/Robotnik hovering. He began to laugh.

"Ahh, Sonic and friends! Not so nice to see you!"

"Dr. Eggman!" shouted Sonic.

"IT'S ROBOTNIK!!! I would love to chat, but I rather take the rest of Choas Emeralds."

Knuckles said something under his breath to Rouge, who looked worried.

Syl spoke up.

"We don't have any stinking emeralds. We don't need any stinking emeralds!"

"SILENCE!!! I thought you would say that, well, something long the lines of that…"

Syl laughed under his breath.

"…so I made a pit stop and got this!"

And out came a rope from the bottom of the float, and it held a very pink hedgehog.

"Amy!" Sonic's greatest fan woke up and looked to the voice, her lovely-dovely, fast-talking, '_boyfriend_'. (A term used VERY loosely.) She squirmed and tried to say "SONIC! Save me!" but it was blocked by the gag.

"Let her go, or else!" shouted Sonic.

"Or else what? Just hand over any Emeralds, and I won't robotize her!" And after that, laser barrels and other deadly weapon burst out of the Eggmobile, and all of them pointed towards the group. A soft hum confirmed that they were charged.

It looked bad. Time seemed to stand still.

Then Syl acted.

He fired a Spirit Finger Pistol (No Description Required) at Robotnik/Eggman, but he ducked, and retaliated with laser fire, which Syl was ready for, so a Spirit Field stopped the blasts. Link fired two arrows, each one taking out a barrel. Mario and Sonic nodded to each other, preparing for a 'team-attack'. Mario's hand started to generate huge flames; Sonic rolled up into a ball, jumped into Mario's fist, and was then throw right at the Eggmobile, damaging it, but knocked Amy loose and Robotnik/Eggman to be throw out.

O.K., I'm done doing the two names.

Might as well make a name for that attack, to please you anime/manga fans.

_**SUPER FLAME BOMBER!!!!**_

Happy now?

Sonic grabbed Amy, and landed safely. Eggman rolled down a hill.

Ha ha.

The minute Amy was un-tied and un-gagged; she leapt into Sonic's arms, happily screaming, "SONIC! I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO RESCUE ME! I JUST KNEW IT!"

Syl said to that, "I do what fans, but not the rabid kind."

Amy promptly whacked him her Piko Piko Hammer, screaming, "I'M NOT RABID!"

So, while Amy was chasing Syl around the hills, Link, Mario, Sonic, Knuckles, and even Rouge found out something important…

"He's heading back to his base!" Tails had spotted Robotnik flying away in the heavily damaged Eggmobile back to his base, of course. Amy stopped chasing and whacking Syl and both watched as Robotnik somehow flew home.

He promptly crashed.

Syl rushed forward towards Egg-Lair, shouting, "Come on! We have to recover the Emerald!"

Everyone followed.

* * *

The clouds had turned grey. Lighting flashed in the sky, but the rain was far off.

Eggman staggered into Hangar # 15. Hopper and Driver were already there, they were preparing something special for the heroes, ever since Eggman had called them on the way back. No one talked. They're only the sounds of Eggman panting and machines running.

A loud, hum confirmed that the surprise was ready. Eggman smiled, and stepped into the darkness.

The heroes had gotten in. Reception was the same. Robots, turrets, mines, spikes, in all sense, anti-Sonic. However, it was normally just meant for one blue hedgehog, but now there were a total of eight that easily breezed thorough defenses. They stopped at the Eggmobile wreck.

"He couldn't have gone too far." Rouge said as she went into the air for an aerial look.

To her surprise, a giant arm had grabbed her.

**Music: Sonic 2 Boss Music ****Orchestra Remix by dummeh (Youtube)**

The Hangar was torn up from the inside as a huge wheel with two long arms burst out. Eggman was seen in a cockpit in the front of the wheel. Eggman's voice was over heard from a speaker.

"Introducing, my latest creation, the Eggman Snatcher! Completely Emerald powered, it's a great mixture of speed and power!"

"And we can control the arms in any ways we want!" boomed the voice of both Hopper and Driver, driving a cockpit on the side of each arm. To show off, Driver threw Rouge towards a sharp wood fragment. She screamed, but stopped as Knuckles grabbed her in mid-air and landed safely on the ground.

"Thanks, Knuckly, but I'm not in the mood for a date."

He dropped her.

The two arms went in, trying to grab someone. Sonic easily maneuvered in and out, confusing the controllers. Eggman, however, saw through, and fired heat-seeking rockets right at the hedgehog, but one diverted towards Tails, and it chased him, until Syl took out it out with a Spirit Bullet, while avoiding machine gun fire.

Sonic ran through the base, trying to avoid the missiles, but they were calibrated to seek the target, and avoid obstacles. Jumping onto the roof of an another hangar, he ran across the rooftops, until he back flipped, and while turning, two missiles collided, destroying a hangar, but two others missiles came out of the smoke. Sonic was caught off guard, but Amy flew up, and knocked a missile into the other.

Sonic denied thank-you kisses.

Link and Mario tackled the two arms. Link v.s. Driver and Mario v.s. Hopper, again. Mario pretended to be flatted to hang on to the arm's backside, and climbed up without Hopper seeing him, and using some fireballs, melted together the arm and the shoulder, originally loose for free movement. Jumping down, he waved, catching Hopper's attention. He prepared to squash the plumber, but something was jammed. Out of frustration, he repeatedly hit the controls, causing the machine to break, and the arm fell off. Hopper screamed.

Link directly charged at his target. Driver laughed, preparing to punch. A direct shot, not! Link jumped up as the fist flew underneath him. Running up the arm, Driver noticed his sword was glowing. As Link reached the connection to the shoulder, he spun in a circle, fast enough and hard enough to break the connection. Driver was stunned.

Noticing the damage, Eggman drove forward, nearly squashing Knuckles. He drove other to Syl, with plans to run him over. Syl ran as hard as he can, pushing his Spirit power into his legs for an extra boost. Sonic ran to his side. He said after dodging a bomb,

"Hey, I was thinking, you got a good crew, save for Mario. I think I join!"

"Now's not the time!" Syl gasped.

"We can take him! You know what to do, right?"

"Oh, right!" Grabbing Sonic with both hands, he transferred some of his Spirit Energy to him, causing Sonic to spin at high speed and glow.

Time slowed down for a minute.

Jumping into the air, he turned around and threw Sonic at the machine…

…making Sonic burst out the end. Eggman gasped as his machine blew up.

Both Eggman and the Emerald went flying, but Emerald flew into Knuckles' hand, and Eggman was caught by Driver and Hopper. The three ran off in to the distance with Eggman screaming, "I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!!!!"

And now…

**Music: CHRONO CROSS: VICTORY~GIFT OF SPRING**

Gained: 105 Coins

Metal Armlet

205 EXP.

SYL LEVELED UP! (LV. 7)

Syl: I can't be beat!

MARIO LEVELED UP! (LV.8)

Mario: Yippee!

SONIC LEVELED UP! (LV. 7)

Sonic: All right!

* * *

So everyone went to celebrate at Sonic's place.

More chilidogs were served, with some Amy's cooking. And yet, Knuckles and Rouge left early to put/steal the Emerald back.

And Sonic became No. 4.

After dinner, Tails had asked Syl if he needed a ride to the next world. He replied,

"Actually, I'm going to need more than that. I don't exactly where is it its."

"What's the place called?"

"Hollow Bastion, or its real name Radiant Garden."

"I have a telescope that can see anywhere in this universe. Why don't you find it and then I can arrange travel?"

Syl sat down on the telescope's seat. While his league slept, he would search for the next destination. He stifled a yawn. Stretching, he looked into the stars…

* * *

A black figure was walking in the ruins of the base. He stopped at the remains of the Egg Snatcher. He also sniffed the air.

"I see that the doctor has been using the emeralds. And, hello? Spirit…haven't felt this in a while. I just wait for Sonic to get back."

And with that, Shadow the Hedgehog disappeared into the grey night…

* * *

END OF EPIC 3.

COMING SOON:

EPIC 4: KEY TO THE KINGDOM

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**As always…**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!! FLAMES ARE ACCEPTED!!!!**

**I don't own Nintendo or Sega. Remix music is owned by author stated.**

**The reason while I put music in there is to imagine the battle. If you want to borrow Syl, please ask me first.**

**I promise that the next chapter will be up earlier, but Senior Year is coming up…and either will be too tired, busy, or lazy to do a lot.**

'_**Adios!'~**__Ricardo, Shadow Hearts: From The New World._


	4. Key To The Kingdom

**Heroic League Epic 4: Key To The Kingdom**

'**Exploring, We Go' ****by Sylvin Wallace**

* * *

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

_Ore kan sho kyousei monogoto (I have seen many of great things)_

_Datte, mada, kon issai arata (But, yet, this all new)_

_Ore kibou tame suuta kyousei abanchu-ru (I hope to have many great adventures)_

_soukou motte maro (traveling with you)_

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

_Kyousei monogoto tachi o hon houto (Many things stand in our way,)_

_Mada, chin kan shouri (yet, we can win.)_

_Tsukkomu harukani! (Let's go far!)_

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)._

* * *

**Profile: Syl: Part Two: Likes And Dislikes, Misc. Info.**

**FAV. Food:**White Pepperoni Pizza, Pretzels, Pocky, many others…

**LEAST FAV. Food:** Vegetables, sushi

**FAV. Drink:** Root Beer. Preferably A & W.

**LEAST FAV. Drink:** Heavy Pulp Orange Juice

**FAV. Song: **_Champagne Supernova_ by Oasis

**LEAST FAV. Song:** _Supergirl_ by Papaya

**FAV. Anime/Manga: **_One Piece_

**LEAST FAV. Anime/Manga:** _InuYasha_ (Too long and complicated)

**FAV. Video Game: **_Shadow Hearts_ series

**LEAST FAV. Video Game:** _Sonic Advance 3 _

**Fighting Stance:**Holds sword at waist in the right hand, pointing it up at a slant. Left hand is in a fist. Knees are bent. While guarding, he crosses his arm in front of his bent head, while his knees are bent even more. Uses both one-handed and double-handed sword techniques.

**Victory Pose:** Has three.

Swings sword diagonally with one hand twice, then, with two hands, swings forward, and brings sword to his side, holding it upwards, legs together, and with a smile on his face.

Swings sword in a circle once, and places tip down into the ground, holding it with one hand, with the other hand on hips.

Jumps up in the air, spins, and does a 'TAA-DAAH!' pose on the ground.

* * *

The next morning…

Link woke up with a big yawn. His bed was the couch bed that Sonic had put together in about six seconds. (Five if he hadn't lost the pillow) He began to think about his current state of affairs. He was whisked away from home in Hyrule to far away lands to create a team made of famous heroes and heroines, whose leader had a incredible power that a select few knew about, but he was quite the point of being insane, but naturally cool-headed and could defeat foes with little or no trouble. Of course he had some of weakness, he said once that everyone had a weakness or two, but his remained in the dark. Looking back at the past battles and events, he chuckled at some of his antics. He had a feeling that he would enjoy adventuring with him…

Speaking of whom, Syl walked into the living room, looking very tired. He did say he was staying up to find the next location, but did he go all night?

Mario and Sonic could be heard snoring, which agitated Syl. So he clapped his hands together, making a boom that made both guys jump up and land on the floor on their faces.

After five minutes of fighting later…

Everyone was outside, including Knuckles and Rouge, watching as Tails' fiddled with some machinery, imputing the coordinates of the next world. Syl was trying to stay awake. Black Wood, if the sword was a real-life human with a demented personality, enjoyed the head beatings.

After a couple of bleeps, a hole in ground opened, and Tails motioned in. Syl had to be dragged in. As soon as everyone was in, the latch closed, throwing everyone in the dark. Syl fell asleep.

A bigger latch opened, and a cannon came out from the ground. It turned and went up and down, adjusting to the coordinates. It stopped…

_Whirr…Click!_

Ready…Aim…

_BBBBBOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!_

**_FIRE!!!_**

As everyone waved good-bye, a capsule made its course to Radiant Garden, or its cooler, former name Hollow Bastion…

What? I like the name Hollow Bastion.

* * *

Link opened his eyes after the rocking and shaking stopped. Syl had fallen asleep, despite him saying, "I will not fall asleep! I will not fall asleep!" Mario was humming a tune from his world, while Sonic's eyes were closed hard shut, he was some way scared. Link decided to look out the window.

He grabbed the others (and woke up Syl) to show the sight.

They could see Mobius, a green and gray world, shrinking as they went far away from it. Stars were bright and colorful, and filled the space with both brilliant light and amazing color. There were many interesting shapes of other things. Swirling 'clouds', planets that looked like dime store gumballs, round and single colored, but together they were a sight. If one looked hard enough, they could see Hyrule and the Mushroom Kingdom in the far distance. Everyone felt homesick.

Expect Syl. He had gone to asleep again after seeing everything.

Some time later…

The capsule rocketed towards a mechanical-like world, Radiant Garden. Syl had awoken in time to see the world before the capsule plummeted down. Syl smiled, happy to see nothing bad happen. (But mostly he wasn't that tired anymore.)

* * *

**Music: **_**Kingdom Hearts II: Hollow Bastion**_

**RADIANT GARDEN**

The four walked into the marketplace. It was bustling with people, today was a farmer's market. Link avoided stepping into a piece of rotten fruit, but ironically, another fell onto his head, as a farmer discovered that larva had invaded his crop. Syl motioned through the crowd, and together they went down into the Residential District.

"Hey, Syl! Who're exactly looking for?" asked Sonic as they passed under the arch.

"His name is Sora. He's a kid who has a special key that can open anything."

Mario: "Like-a skeleton key?"

"Much butter than that. A Super-Skeleton key!"

…

"HEADS UP!"

Syl was knocked down by Link after he said that. A black, yellow-eyed, bug-like creature jumped over the two, now aiming for Mario. He jumped to side, but noticed there was more. When Link and Syl got back up, they surrounded by 8 others.

**Music: **_**Kingdom Hearts: **__**Scherzo De Notte**_

"Wha-t-t…are they!" screamed Sonic. As a bug jumped towards him.

"Heartless! They want our hearts!" Syl screamed as he swiped at a Shadow, knocking it back.

The four tackled two Shadows each. Link swiped as a Shadow sank into the ground, surprising him enough for the Shadow to jump up and attack, hitting Link's face and right arm, but the surprise made him swing the sword, thus defeating the Shadow. Grabbing his arm, he headed off to handle the next one. He noticed that despite Syl's tiredness, he was holding quite well, swinging his sword fast enough to catch them off guard. He promptly fell asleep after he defeated his batch.

Mario and Sonic surprising teamed-up again, and with a swing of a speeding, burning hedgehog, the Shadows were gone. But their problems got even worse, as more Shadows appeared, now with Soldiers and Fat Bodies. Link tried waking Syl up, but Syl couldn't be disturbed. The Heartless jumped up, heading for the group…

…and never made it.

A boy, a duck, and a dog easily, with one blow, took out all the Heartless. Everyone stood still, quiet.

Syl woke up and noticed the boy.

"Hey, thanks, Sora."

Sora turned around and replied, "No sweat."

* * *

Sora helped Link drag Syl, who fell asleep again, to Merlin's House, where Cid and Merlin were exchanging insults (Cid was winning for once.), Yuffie was practicing standing on the ceiling, while Aerith was running around to place pillows under her. Syl was put on the couch, and Link took his mantle and told everyone everything.

"Gawrsh! I didn't know there so many worlds, out there! I thought there just a few!" exclaimed Goofy, as he drunk some tea Cid served.

"Don't be silly! There probably more worlds than Merlin's and Cid's IQs put together!" replied Donald. Sora thought for a minute, letting his tea sit, and asked

"And you're saying that guy over there…" pointing to a quiet Syl, "…wants me to join a league of famous heroes?"

"That in-a nutshell." Mario said.

"Now, Sora, its best not to get involved with strangers, despite they may be know everywhere…" Donald started.

"Sure. I'll join." Easily said Sora. Donald and Goofy sprayed tea on Mario and Sonic.

"WH-HA-A-AT? Sora!" They both said at the same time. Everyone else has their heads turned towards Sora.

And, just like that…

Syl sprang up, and shook Sora's hand warmly.

"Congrats, Sora, old boy! You've joined the Heroic League, an ever-building society of powerful heroes and heroines! And…"

And so on, and so on.

"Uhh…Thanks?" Sora weakly replied.

"No, thank you! And for once, we didn't need to get involved in a war!"

You saw this coming, didn't you?

Leon burst through the door, holding his Gunblade up. He looked very tired.

"Guys! Major Heartless outbreak! Riku and Kairi were captured! They're heading for town!" he said with breath problems.

Syl flew to the ground.

"What is he, a wimp?" asked Cid.

"Nah, He fallen asleep again." Said Sonic.

"What are we going to-a? Should we evacuate the town, or hold-a them off?" asked Mario. He looked anxious for action.

"We go into two teams. One team handles the Heartless; the others will stay behind and guard the town."

"We'll protect the town!" shouted Donald. He quickly ran past Leon, grabbing his staff along the way.

"You go save Riku and Kairi! They probably be expecting you!" also shouted Goofy, as he followed Donald. Aerith and Yuffie followed.

"Guess you and me have to take care of the Heartless." Said Leon.

"Wait."

Everyone turned to see Syl sit up. He looked drowsy. He continued.

"Take Link, Mario and Sonic. They can help."

Sora was taken back. He was made leader, and he had just joined. He managed to sputter out, "Why can't you? Why me? I thought you were the leader!"

"Actually, I'm the guy who painting on the company's picture wall is the biggest:the founder. Any of you can be the leader when ever you want. Sora, this is your chance to show if you're material for the league. Now, excuse me…"

He went back to asleep. Sora looked at his party. A short, plump, Italian man, a blue hedgehog, and an 'elf' warrior. Quite the crew.

It would do.

"Come on! Follow me, league!" Summoning the Kingdom Key, he dashed outside, followed by the rest of league. They ran up the stairs, and ran into a couple of Heartless, but between Link's and Sora's slashes, and Mario's and Sonic's punches, they were quickly defeated, and they went further into the invasion.

Cid could have sworn that he saw Syl smile in his sleep.

* * *

Riku woke up with his head throbbing like time Wakka spiked the punchbowl…I mean, the time that a coconut hit his head. Anyway, his surroundings were black, but, then again, they were captured by the Heartless. His Way to Dawn wouldn't come to his hand, and Kairi was still out cold. He stood up, and looked for a way out.

A square window opened up. Light shone in, waking Kairi. A man in a black trench coat appeared, smiling. His chestnut hair, cut short was the only different color he had. Holding his hand up, he brought up Way to Dawn, and mocked Riku by pointing towards him.

"If you're done with that, you could give it." The man laughed a little. Kairi got to her feet. In response, he brought Kairi's Keyblade, Heart of Destiny, in his other hand, and repeated the insult.

"Who are you, and how are you doing this?" asked Kairi. She seemed a bit scared, but Riku kept calm.

"Name's Master Dark Lord…"

"I can tell already all ready, you won't be hard." Said Riku. Kairi was no longer scared. With a name like that…

"It-t's a good name! What's wrong with that?" MDL managed to say.

"That's about as cool as "High Lord of Darkness. It's cliché."

"Well, I like it!"

Kairi spoke up. "You don't seem to be a real threat."

"I going to be your worst nightmare! Just watch!" Riku spoke up.

"If you're done annoying us, we like to leave."

"NO! Shutupshutupshutupshutup!" MDL was really mad. He was hopping up and down, hitting the keyblades on his head. He held he hand up onto his head. He some how calmed down.

The keyblades vanished from both of his hands into a mist, as well as did the darkness, forming a box. Way to Dawn reappeared in Riku's hand. He chuckled a little, and after Heart of Destiny came back to Kairi, he said,

"Huh. You can make illusions. Nice trick, but it won't help you."

MDL laughed. His laughter started out as a normal laugh, then grew into demented laughter, until he was just gone crazy. After he put his hand on his face, he calmed down and said,

"Yes. Illusions are my ability. But, this is a new trick of mine." He snapped his fingers. The black box disappeared, showing that they're on a cliff of the Great Maw. The ground started to shake. It started out as a small rumble, and grew into an earthquake like shake, and then the ground opened up, and a giant black hand emerged.

Riku and Kairi last things they heard was the insane laughter of MDL.

* * *

Sora led the group down into the canyon. The Heartless got bigger, stronger and even more showed as they headed into further in. Leon had caught up, and assisted the heroes. After dispatching a Morning Star, Sora stopped for a moment, and waited for the area to be cleared. He turned to Link, and asked, "What world is Syl from anyway? He doesn't look like any other world I've been to, or from your guys' world."

"He's from Earth."

Sora looked confused. "Earth? Ever heard of it."

Everyone cast a look. "You don't know about Earth?"

"No."

Mario explained. "A while-a back, me, Link, and Sonic participated in a famous tournament, the-a Super Smash Bros Brawl. Before-a that, me and Link were-a in the last two, Melee and just-a Super Smash Bros. Me-a and Link were always the first ones-a to arrive, and the last ones to leave."

"In short, we're veterans." Said Link as he cut down a Shadow.

Mario continued. "In these-a tournaments, we're watched-a by the people of Earth, some times controlled controlled."

Sora stopped running. "Wait, your guys were in a…video game?"

"In a nut shell." Said Link as his bomb blew up a Fat Body.

"He's some got lucky enough to get a power like that and leave." Said Sonic.

"He apparently doesn't want to go back. Something having do with the scars on his right arm." Finished Link.

"Scars? He hasn't shown us that." Asked Sonic. The group was at the Crystal Fissure, with no Heartless bothering then, they're able to walk side-by-side, talking in a friendly way.

Link: "I think what ever it was, it wasn't a enjoyable experience."

Mario: "It's-a funny, how a boy like-a him gets a amazing power, and uses it-a for good. Most people in his position would-a use it for evil."

Sora: "I guess he was smart enough."

Link: "He mentioned a old man before we landed in the Mushroom Kingdom. He apparently gave Syl a magical bottle that got him to Hyrule. Maybe the old man had the power too."

Sonic: "Ahh, let's talk about something else! Sora, what's your favorite food?"

Sora: "Uh…Watermelons?"

As so, they talked each other, and grew closer. Sora, who at first was a little uncomfortable, relaxed, and enjoyed their presence. No doubt now, he was going to join the league after this battle.

He gasped, and ran forward after seeing up ahead.

A floating, black-covered man was holding Riku and Kairi up. He was smiling manically. The Kingdom Key appeared in Sora's hand as the others came to his side. The man began to speak.

"So, Keyblade's chosen one, you've come for your friends! I see you brought some new guests! I can tell this is going to be thrilling battle!"

Sora angrily shouted, "Who are you, and why are you doing this?"

"My name is Master Dark Lord…"

Sora's dropped his stance, and began to laugh. The others joined in, laughing just plain silly. MDL's smile wore off very fast.

"What's so funny? Freighted to death by title?"

Sonic managed to speak up. "No…hehehe…it's just…hahaha…just your name…heehahoho…your name….ohohoheheh…IT'S LAME!!!! HAHAHA!!!"

Mario, who was on the floor, also managed to get laughter under his control. "For a moment, I thought-a we going up against something real!"

Link joined on. "Can we find the real threat? Please?"

Everyone stopped laughing.

"That ruined the joke. Thanks!" said a sad Sora.

"I'm the straight man on this show. I really can't make jokes!" replied a red-faced Link.

"That means, Link, you shut up and continue laughing. Great, NOW we have to fight this guy!" shouted Sonic.

"CAN WE GET ON THIS FIGHT? I'M WAITING!!!"

"…please tell-a me that there is real threat nearby." Lamented Mario.

"_Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutup_…." He calmed down after his hand-on-face technique. "You know what, Keyblader and his friends? I'll send my greatest minion on you. Beat him, and you can challenge me, me, the…"

"Lord Of Over-Used Clichés. Yeah, yeah we got it." Finished Sonic. Everyone, including Riku and Kairi, who had woke up and joined in the laughter earlier, nodded.

_Due to budget cuts, we're unable to show that scene. Camera # 4 had technical issues. We except cash or credit. ~ Head Cameraman._

"_**Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutupshutup…**__"_ After he calmed down, his creepy smile came back.

"Introducing…_**THE COLOSSAL!"**_ He shouted as a huge shape shadowed the Maw. It landed on the other side with a big shake.

It was a huge, black Heartless. It had long, thin arms, with over-sized hands, which also had long thin fingers. It had a big, muscular body, covered with orange armor, and with the Heartless symbol on its chest. Its legs were also long, and its feet were a long metal spike. Two other spikes laid on top on each of his shoulders. Its head was a closed helmet. There was no armor on the arms or legs.

Sora and the others took a step back to get a better look on the beast.

"Impressive, isn't it? He came as a gift when managed to put the Heartless under my command. He's going to tear down that wretched town, and build me a castle for where I shall stand ruler of this world."

Sora was taken back by this statement. "You're the one behind this? YOU?"

"I let the darkness like a welcomed guest. It accepted me, and plan on keeping welcome by submitting myself to go its conquest to conquer all the worlds." He roared, "BECAUSE DARKNESS SHALL RULE ALL WORLDS!!!"

Link stopped him. "O.K., it's official. You're the stock villain."

After repeated shut-ups and the face palm, MDL laughed, and pointed at the heroes.

**Music: **_**KINGDOM HEARTS: The Deep End**_

Colossal opened up its chest plate, and fired huge fireballs at the heroes. They scampered all over to avoid being killed. After the barrage, Colossal jumped up, and landed near the heroes, sending a huge shockwave that caused the walls nearby to collapse, sending huge rocks falling down. Our heroes took refuge behind them.

"Now what? We have to rescue your friends, but that beast will flick us to the next world if we get even near it!" yelled Sonic over the rumbling of Colossal's giant steps. MDL pointed to the hiding spot, and Colossal's eyes began to grow. Huge balls of energy burst out, leaving a crater the size of a house where the boulder used to stand. The group split up before the next blast.

Sora looked up at MDL. He was laying down on a throne in mid-air, while Riku and Kairi were watching the scene. Riku pointed towards the battle, and Sora noticed, that the guys were avoiding the fists that crashed onto the ground. Sora made a choice.

Mustering all his strength, he jumped to DML.

He laughed, and sent a black energy ball at Sora, who easily deflected it, but lost his momentum, and fell straight towards Colossal's fist, sending him flying back towards a wall.

But before that could happen, a flash of blue light caught him, and sent down on the ground.

Syl had arrived, and he looked peeved. He had forgotten his sword, his jacket, and his bag. Sora noticed his trio of scars. He turned towards DML.

"Your antics have ruined my nap." He said bitterly.

"Oh? A boy questions a future dark overlord? How typical. And what's your name, worm?"

"My name is Syl Wallace. What's yours?"

DML opened his mouth, but closed it after remembering the reaction from the others. "Call me DML, for short? Why do you care? For interrupting me, I shall sentence you to death."

"So I can make fun of you, Dark Master Lord. I over heard you."

After, you-know-what, DML shouted, "You stand no chance against me or Colossal. Surrender. Now."

"I don't think so. You, anyone can handle, even Aerith…"

_Off In The Distance…_

"Hey!"

"Aerith, what's wrong?"

"Nothing Yuffie, I felt as if someone said something that makes me sound bad."

"O-kay…"

_Back To The Story:_

…Colossal seems to be a problem, though. But the these three can handle it."

"HOW?!?! Colossal is big as the Groundshaker. They can't up to it, quite literally."

**_"OBJECTION!"_**shouted Syl.

_**Gyakuten Meets Orchestra: Investigation ~ Cornered**_

"There's no way it can be THAT big! It moves too fast, it's only strong as Darkside, and that shadowy-like aura bursting off him is the same color as your recent attack! I think you are nothing more than a illusionalist!"

"Your're right! That's all he can do!" shouted Riku.

DML looked shocked. This cause the illusion to fall, showing that Colossal was nothing more than a armored Darkside.

"You guys handle him. I handle running gag over there." Said Syl as he walked towards DML.

The fight was easy and short. The epic music of Phoenix Wright played on.

Link noticed that the chest plate attack left Colossal opened. He attacked the fist to draw attention and open the plate. Before it had a chance to attack, Sonic began to spin very fast, and then lit on fire by Mario. Sora then whacked Sonic into the chest area, making a huge hole and knocking out the Heartless, and it was finally defeated when Link jumped up, and sank his sword into the exposed chest, letting the heart out.

Syl jumped up, and landed on the top of the throne. DML withdrew a sword, and hacked towards Syl, missing him as he just jumped up again, and landed his foot on DML, sending them falling to the ground. After recovering, DML wildy swung his sword with the skill of a student. Syl's fist covered itself with a blue box and a blue ball, the Spirit Fist, and punch DML in the face, sending him flying into a wall. Syl's fists transformed into a blue flaming fist, and pummeled DML.

To Syl's amazement, DML chuckled and got back up.

"Illusions aren't just for looks. And with the Heartless backing me up, I'M INVINCBLE!!! How can you stop me!"

"Syl! Catch!"

Leon (who left earlier to chase the Heartless on a different path, thanks again Camera # 4.) appeared on the cliffside, threw Black Wood at Syl, who immentaly caught it. The sword glowed its blue aura as Syl went into battle stance. He rushed at DML, knocking him into the air with a powerful one-handed swing. He followed him in the air.

"Spirit…Illusionary Double!" As he shouted his techinque name, a fainter version of the sword appeared in his left hand, and he used both in a combo that endlessly whacked DML until he was black and bruised, and with a powerful double-swing, Syl sent him flying into the distance.

**_Muisc: Final Fantasy X: Victory Theme_**

Gained: 275 Munny/Coins (Money changes for each world.)

Illusional Glove

Goofy & Donald Summon Orbs

316 EXP.

LINK LEVELED UP! (LV. 9)

Link: About time.

LINK LEARNED: HACKING TORNADO

SORA LEVELED UP! (LV. 7)

Sora: Oh, yeah!

* * *

"Don't mess with me, I kick ass for a living. Man, that's four major asses I kicked in matter of three days. I can't be beat!"

While Syl was parading his success. Sora broke the cage Riku and Kairi were in. Riku punched him in the shoudler. "Hey, Sora. What took so long to take care of that guy? It seems you found yourself a good crew."

"Well, they did come to me, so what can I say? I think I join."

Kairi asked, "Sora. Your going to leave again, aren't you?" She seemed sad.

"Don't worry. I got four others watching my back. We all should be fine."

"I don't know…"

"Hey, if you want, I bring you something back!"

"Knock it off, I'm serious!"

"Kairi, don't worry…"

"Sora…"

"KISS HER, YOU FOOL!!! KISS HER!!! YOU REMIND OF CHEAP ROMANCE MOVIES!!!" Shouted Syl off in distance.

To his despair, they just blushed.

* * *

"So you want to go with out us." Restated Donald. Everyone was back at Merlin's house, and enjoying tea. (Expect for Syl, he hated tea and coffee.)

"Sorry, Donald, Goofy, but Syl says that you guys can help, but you have to do it here."

"But Sora, won't helping these guys, and inviting others, wouldn't that be muddling?" asked Goofy.

"Meddling!"

"Nah, Syl says it's an union. General helping."

Donald and Goofy looked unsure, but nodded their heads. Sora smilied.

"You guys probably don't know, but your current Gummni Ship won't hold all of you." Said Cid as he poured himself another cup.

"Which is why I while be making one. A BIG one." Said Syl, as drank from a class of root beer.

"Now-a Syl…"

"I know. I go to bed earlier. It won't take as long as finding this place."

As so, after a nice dinner provided by Aerith, Syl went with Cid to the Gummni Garage, while the rest of the Heroic League went to asleep, unexpecting the next adventure and Syl's ship…

* * *

DML staggered towards the Dark Depths. There was a man in a black cloak standing there, wacthing as the Heartless scamper back to Villian's Vale.

"You! You promised me power! You promised me the ability of darkness! I have met some scam artists in my life, but YOU! YOU ARE HORRIBLE! YOU CAN'T GIVE ME THE POWER TO BEAT A BOY! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOUSELF?"

The cloak stood silent. He then said, "No refunds to people who can't read the fine print."

DML roared, and shot forward with his sword.

The cloak smilied. A huge red flash covered the area behind him.

DML was on the floor, choking, ragged, and looked like he been in a bomb. The cloak came closer to the future copse. DML's last words were,

"What kind of beast are you? Are you a god?"

DML's last things he heard was,

"I'm no man, beast, or god. I'm the man who's about to make everything change."

DML's last he saw was a red blast of energy coming from the cloak's hand.

* * *

END OF EPIC 4. COMING SOON:

EPIC 5: _THE FUTURE KING OF THE PIRATES_

* * *

Like I said, school is here, so story writing is going to be cut back. Hopefully, I can finish homework in class.

Now I'm begging here. 'Ahem'.

**PLEASE, OH, GOD, PLEASE, REVIEW!!!! I ONLY GOT TWO PEOPLE DOING IT, AND ONE'S A COMPLETE IDIOT!!! I NEED REVIEWS!!! FLAMES ARE ACCEPTED!!! TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!! BUT, GODDAMMITT, I NEED REVIEWS!!! I CAN'T TELL IF I'M DOING A GOOD JOB OR NOT!!! REVIEW!!!**

'Ahem'. Please review, people. I live off comments.

Spelling and grammar check is off again, so expect some mistakes.

No witty good-byes for you this time!

Heroic League: Epic 4: Key To The Kingdom


	5. The Future King Of The Pirates

**Heroic League: Epic 5: The Future King of The Pirates**

'**Exploring, We Go' ****by Sylvin Wallace**

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

_Ore kan sho kyousei monogoto (I have seen many of great things)_

_Datte, mada, kon issai arata (But, yet, this all new)_

_Ore kibou tame suuta kyousei abanchu-ru (I hope to have many great adventures)_

_soukou motte maro (traveling with you)_

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

_Kyousei monogoto tachi o hon houto (Many things stand in our way,)_

_Mada, chin kan shouri (yet, we can win.)_

_Tsukkomu harukani! (Let's go far!)_

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

* * *

_Without any further ado, let's jump in! Sorry about the delay of the chapter._

* * *

The next morning, everyone was in the market, Sonic and Mario fighting over the last muffin, Link and Sora eating quietly, and the others were just waiting. Syl was waiting on a stage, a blue curtain blocking off half of the stage, behind it was the Gummi Ship obviously, but it was a secret of its design. Syl took a microphone out and began speaking.

"Heroic League, Ladies and gentleman…and Yuffie. (Yuffie blinked) I give you…the official Heroic League Gummi Ship, the Allmacht!"

He pulled the curtain off, then following an inhale of breath from the crowd.

It was big and long, blue, grey, black, white, and green in one place. It had cannons on its sides, plus two lasers on the bottom. The bridge was huge, along with the two sets of wings.

There was a symbol on each side. It was a green four-leaf clover, surrounded by a thin black border. Blue filled in between the clover and the same blue color made an 'S' in the middle of the clover. The clover's sides were a bit squarish though.

"Hey, Syl…what's the symbol?" asked Sora.

"Oh. It's mine. I need one, don't I?" replied Syl with a shrug.

"…Good point." Said Link.

So everyone said their good-byes, and the league scrambled in the ship.

The bridge was very spacious, more than enough room for a Supreme Court case. A tall chair was up center-front, giving a good view from out the large window. To keep it short, the deck had a total of 30 chairs, 16 on the bottom (Including the big chair) and 14 of the second floor (Two chairs for pilot and co-pilot.).

"Wow! How long did you stay up?" asked Sonic amazed. Syl smiled.

"An hour."

"An hour? How?"

"Simple!...I work fast."

"That's it? No witty comeback, no joke?"

"Really, this isn't going to be a fun voyage. No need for jokes."

"How exactly is going a bad trip?"

"Well…No knowledge of macroverse, no knowledge of travel, no knowledge on how to get there…"

"I get it, I get it."

So Syl sat down in the big chair and pressed a button. The door behind them closed, and a low humming noise confirmed that the machine was running.

"We can fly it by ourselves, but we pick up a pilot soon enough. Sora? Would you like to do the honors?"

"Sure!"

So Sora sat down in the pilot's chair, and after a few button-pushing and level-pulling, the humming grew louder. Link sat down in co-pilot seat, somehow producing a driver's manual and started to read it. Mario and Sonic briefly fought over seats, which Mario got bottom floor, and Sonic got top floor. After a minute of numerous pushing and pulling, the ship began to hover up, and the engines were warming up. Syl turned around, and pushing _yet_ another button, opened up a panel with an _even_ bigger button.

Geeze, I've got to find better dialogue. My brain is not paid enough.

So finally, after all that boring piece of annoyance, the ship was in air.

"Alright people!" shouted Syl, his finger on the _**big button.**_ The ship was roaring.

"5…

4…

3…

2…

1!...

LIFT OFF!!!"

The ship crashed down.

"Oh, wait. Sorry, now this will do it! GO!!!"

The ship rose up, the engine flared up, and it shot off into the sky, finally leaving the sight of the crowd below.

* * *

Worlds and stars awaited them. Like last time, but only better, this time with control where to go. As they coasted along their way, more worlds could be seen, leaving behind Hollow Bastion and, within sight, Mobius and the Mushroom Kingdom. (With Hyrule being a small speck.)

About half-hour in, after everyone absorbed in the beauty and wonder of the macroverse, Sora turned around and asked, "Hey, Syl, where exactly are we going? The computer could lead us there."

Syl replied, "I can't tell you much yet, but it has pirates, a world government, and Devil's Fruit."

"What exactly is devil's fruit?"

"Hey, you forgot to capitalize the word!"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. I tell you latter."

Lucky, the computer could use those key words to find the world. Setting course, the Allmacht sped off. It was quiet until Mario asked,

"Syl."

"Yeah?"

"About-a those scars…"

"No." Syl looked serious. He just wasn't going to go there.

"Why-a not? You know-a all about us, but we-a don't know anything about you."

"I will not repeat myself. I'll tell you once all the people we need join."

Mario was still persistent. "At least-a hint!"

"No!"

Link stood up and walked over to Syl. "Syl…as a friend…I would like to least know why you're hiding."

Syl stood up in a flash. "Hiding! Where did you get that idea?"

Link stood motionless. "Syl, you don't want to talk about the scars. You always act like a loon, happy and carefree, but you tense up when we talk about your scars or your past. Then you try going back to being the loon. Anybody can tell you're hiding something."

Syl was taken aback. "It's none of your business! I'll tell you and everyone when it's time!" Sonic quickly rushed up towards Syl, getting in his face.

"IT IS our business. We're your friends! Maybe not the best of, but we still care!"

"Then you can wait for everyone to join up!" Mario and Sora also came to confront Syl.

"Syl, I've barely known you for a day, but I'm concerned about this matter…"

"Please-a? Just-a a hint?"

Syl groaned and sighed, showing that he gave up. "I just tell you one thing. Two others got worse scars, deep ones. It also scarred me somewhere else too…"

Sonic spoke. "That's actually two hints."

Syl smiled his smile. "I know. A bonus…for my friends."

Link also smiled. "I wait for the rest. I don't mind."

The others agreed.

Syl asked, "Group hug? Just once? I feel like this moment needs one."

And they grabbed each other in a friendly manner, and the friends they became and were, bonded.

"Oh, Sora, did you leave the auto-pilot on?"

Sora blinked.

"Uhh…"

The ship titled down. Syl sighed.

"We scream now, right?" Link, noting reacting, replied,

"Sure, go ahead."

Everyone (Save for Link) screamed.

"_**AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH NNNNNNNOOOOOO AAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!**_

The ship was picking up speed, and falling like a meteor towards a planet. A buzzing sound was heard and the computer's voice was heard saying….

"**DESTITANTION**** REACHED. PLANET OF THE PIRATES STRAIGHT AHEAD, 150 KM, 140 KM, 125 KM, 105 KM…."**

"_AAAAHHHH_!!! We made it! _AAAAHHHHH_!!!!" said Syl as hung on to the top of his chair.

"_AAAAUUUGGGHHHH_!!!! What-a coincidence! _WWAAAHHHH_!!!!" said Mario as he too, grabbed a chair for dear life.

"_WWWWOOOOAAAAHHHHH_!!!! Why are we talking like this? We scream, talk, and scream again? Why?" _DAH, DOH, OH, OW, AUGH_!!!" said Sonic as he rolled around, bouncing into people, knocking Sora off his seat. Link groaned and said,

"…I just hope the rest of the chapter isn't like this…"

The ship fell down, down, down into the planet, either to doom or destiny…

* * *

The hooded man was in a ship flying to a unknown destination. He proceeded towards a radar. A blip was moving fast towards a planet. Taking a minute to get this, he reached for a phone. He dialed a number and held it up.

"…_Yes? Does the Prince want a favor?_"

"Don't play around. My future enemies are heading your towards your world. I'll get them to you."

"_But what about my target? You promised me you get me Straw-Hat_."

"…Fine. You get them both. You get the pirate's bounty, and I give power for the head of the blue boy."

"_Alright, alright. I'll do it_." The other person hanged up.

"…I must be getting desperate for getting people like him. The last one was just plain stupid to recruit, but at least he could fight and command the Heartless…

…still, this one actually has a good plan, even to the point of me admiring it. It's perfect…"

* * *

The ship was still falling 20 minutes later. By then, the League had stopped screaming, and were bored.

"So, are all Gummi Ships thus light, and fall slow?" asked Sonic, reading a magazine.

"Yeah." Said Sora, who was playing with an yo-yo, performing the cradle.

Syl was just sitting there, eating his pretzels, and drinking his root-beer. Mario started to eat the muffin he won in a earlier fight with Sonic. Finally, a large open body of water could be seen. Everyone (Save for Link, again.) started to scream.

"Wait!" shouted Syl. "Sora, you can still fly this thing, right?"

"Uhh…yes."

"You…are…an…idiot."

But before Sora could grab the controls, the ship stopped falling, and just stood there in mid-air. Everyone blinked a couple of times. The ship straighten it self out, and moved in a direction. Not too fast, but enough to get some where.

More blinking.

"Uhh…Sora?"

"Wish I could say."

So something appeared right in front of them, traveling slowly, but defiantly coming closer.

"What-a is that?" asked Mario, having not yet realizing that he dropped his muffin.

"Wish I could say."

"You-a already said that."

"I know…"

Hey…I think it's a ship." Said Sonic.

"No. Really? What else is big, brown, and floats?" sarcastically said Syl

"A walrus?"

"Crap!"

"…You do realize we're getting too close." Said Link.

"AGH! We're going to crash!" Sora shouted as he tried to regain control, but everything didn't do anything. Syl quickly reacted.

"Sonic! Shut it down!" In a flash, Sonic rushed out of the bridge, and made it to a Emergency Shut-Down Switch. He pulled it, but nothing happened.

"Syl! Nothing happened!"

"Yes, I read the part above! Link! Any ideas?"

"Wait, I guess. We're slowing down…"

The ship was slowing down, and was now over the ship. A whiney voice was yelling for others while saying about 'the end' and the 'aliens' and a higher-pitched voice was just screaming.

"Sora…tell me you have something…"

"It's working! We have control back!"

And the ship crashed down on the grassy deck.

"Why?" asked Sora.

"Let's go and apologize…"

* * *

So the League quietly, slowly exited the Allmacht. The Straw-Hat Pirates looked on with curiosity and in some, anger. Syl spoke up first, embarrassed.

"Eh, sorry about this, there was this weird problem with our ship…" Nami grabbed him and shook him up, while yelling at him.

"YOU IDIOT!!! LOOK WHAT YOU DONE TO MY TAGERINE PLANTS!!!!" She pointed towards her garden, one of the wings had knocked a tree over, spilling tangerines and soil. "IT'S GOING TO COST YOU BIG TIME!!!"

"Err…How much?" Syl weakly asked.

"10 million berries. A million for each tangerine."

"Rip-off artist!" shouted Syl, lightly kicking Nami in the shin, allowing him to escape, only to be confronted by the chef, Sanji.

"Nobody Nami-chan while I'm around!" said he, as he lashed out with his legs, with Syl just barely dodging the blows. After Sanji stopped, Syl managed to get in, "Wait! Wait! I need to talk to the captain! I don't want to fight you!"

"Lead Star!" shouted Usopp, firing a lead ball at Syl, who was knocked out somehow. Link quickly threw a boomerang to gain some ground for Mario to drag Syl back into the ship. Sora quickly cast a Blizzada spell at Usopp, who ran around and around trying to avoid the ice crystal. It looked silly! Really!

"Why did you kick her?" asked Sonic as he locked the door before Zoro and Franky began pounding on it.

"Reflex! And, in my opinion, they seem to be angry about something else too."

"Yeah? What?"

"Check out the purple-black aura around him. That's never a good sign."

Yes. They did have faint aura of that color. They're faces were that rage, twisted and deranged.

By this point, the door was knocked down, and the crew entered. However, the League had a plan!

1. Sonic runs around the crew, confusing them.

2. Sora places his Kingdom Key on the ground, which Syl jumps on, holding his sword up, in a striking position.

3. Link throws his boomerang, with Sonic's speed creating a cushion of air, the boomerang makes a mini tornado, which the pirate crew is flown out,

4. Sora launches Syl towards the crew in mid-air, and with a huge slash, defeats the crew.

That was their plan. And it worked!

When Syl and the pirates reached the ground, the aura surrounding the pirates rose up, and formed into a ghost-like entity, with evil-looking eyes. They rose up into the air, and disappeared.

"What-a was that?" asked Mario, awesome struck.

"They must been the things that made the crew go crazy. I think this chest here held those…things." Link pointed towards a broken chest, its top had been ripped off. An unusual smell came off the chest.

Someone of the crew groaned.

"Quick! Fix up this place!" Syl shouted as he ran towards the tangerine tree that had fallen over.

* * *

"Step One of the brilliant plan," said the man that had talked to the mysterious figure on the phone. "Is to create a distraction long enough for me to prepare, and catch the Straw Hats off guard…"

He pulled a switch. A 'Zap!' could be heard in the distance…

* * *

Nami woke up. She looked around, and saw a large box-like 'thing' and five people she never seen before. Staggering up to them, she asked,

"Hey, who are you people? What's the box for?"

"You don't remember attacking us?" said the young boy with the spiky hair.

"I should charge you storage fees for your thing…" The glasses boy stood up.

"That's nice. Where's your captain?"

Zoro, who thought he just had the worst nap ever, was very drowsy, and thought he heard Luffy groaning behind a door.

"Thanks author guy!" shouted Syl, running over Usopp, and opening up the door to find a tied-up Luffy. Syl also un-gagged him.

"MEAT!!!! I HAVEN'T EATEN IN A DAY!!!!!" Luffy immanently shouted, sending Syl flying, once again injuring Usopp.

"Why do I hate Mondays so?" whimpered the poor sharpshooter.

* * *

After a big lunch with the crew, the league got to know the crew a bit better. Brook, after a Skull joke ("I would be hungry, but I have no stomach! Yohoho, Skull joke!") just sat in a corner and began playing a tune.

"So you plan on becoming the world's greatest swordsman?" asked Link to Zoro, who was lifting a huge weight.

"My training will never stop until I get that dream." Zoro replied as he grunted passed is 200th mark. Link stared at him. Zoro stared back. It connected. The two withdrew their swords and dueled.

"You date a princess? Is she hot?" asked Sanji towards Mario, before his head was knocked down by Nami, who asked, "Is she rich? And Sora, you say your key can open any chest, right?"

Sora ignored her, and avoided here Clima-Tact.

"Wow! You defeated a fire-breathing turtle?" said a bright-eyed Chopper, who along with Usopp and Franky, were listening to Mario and Sonic's tales.

"Not-a once, but several times! Much-a more than blueberry over there." Said Mario pointing towards "Blueberry the Hedgehog". Blueberry wasn't happy of course.

"At least my nemesis keeps up with the times! He uses more technology than Bowser could never dream of!" This started another with the two.

"That's nice and all, but did you guys know that _**I,**_ the Great Captain Usopp, took on a giant, metallic, evil-genius, fire-breathing, dragon at mortal combat and won with just a pair of scissors?" Franky and Chopper, completely naïve, listened on as Mario and Sonic fought on, calling each Blueberry and Peach-Fuzz.

Syl and Luffy were just happily eating. The two had become quick friends in a matter of seconds. Luffy was quickly gorging on some meat, while Syl patiently ate his bowl of steamed rice and some broiled chicken, while enjoying a nice conservation with Robin.

"So Luffy, seeing as you weren't part of the angry mob, do you remember what happened to the crew and yourself?" asked Syl once the meal was over and Nami had knocked out Link and Zoro. Luffy thought for a minute, and spoke.

"Nami saw this chest on a small rock a couple days back, so she made us stop to get it."

"That sound like something I would do."

"So she got the chest, and opened it up, and we found was a bunch of weird black fruit. Nami was sad."

"I would do that too, but I'm having a hard time to remember that…"

"So Sanji made a dish out the fruit, but I didn't get any because I raided the food locker again."

"Once again, a plausible story."

"But afterwards…they went crazy! Red eyes, a faint dark cloud surrounded around their heads, and they threw me in a closet with no food!"

"Okay, it can't be true."

"But it is! You saw me tied up! Only Usopp can tie me like that!"

"That's a lie! I should know!"

"Then tie me up then!"

"Fine!"

So Usopp tied Luffy up with a confidently placed rope…in the same way the Luffy was tied up in the closet.

"See? You went crazy, and tied me up!"

"Anyone can do that! I couldn't because…because….I had _ididntgocrazyandtieanyoneup_ disease! Really! I do!" more than obviously lied Usopp.

"So…can we get down to business?" Syl spoke up to end the conservation.

"Sure, Spirit-kun." Said Robin, who knew about Syl's Spirit powers after he showed off. Syl cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, will you…"

BOOM!!!! BOOM!!!!

KABOOM!!!!

The ship rocked in a violent matter. Everyone fell down to the ground.

They were under attack!

Everyone rushed out.

"Umm…guys?"

Usopp came in and untied Luffy.

* * *

A huge galleon appeared in the horizon. It was firing all of its cannons at the Thousand Sunny.

"ALL RIGHT!!!! Nothing like a little action to make the day better!" shouted Franky as he manned the cannons and fired like crazy. The shots landed, but it did no real damage to the galleon. It continued firing, while Franky was shouting about poor Sunny. Mario grabbed a telescope, and viewed the ship. He gasped.

"Gangplank Galleon! It's K. Rool! What-a is HE doing here?"

Link and Sonic were taken back. Sora asked, "Who's he?"

Link replied. "He's a enemy of an old friend of mine, and one of Mario's rivals. He's a crazy crocodile in a swollen eye, controls more lizards known as Kremlings, and he's has a personality disorder, he goes from being king, pirate, scientist, and boxer. He's a pain."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's head on over!" And with that, Syl jumped into an cannon, and Franky fired him over. Franky stayed behind to fire everyone else off, including a reluctant Usopp.

**MUSIC**: **Donkey Kong Country Gangplank Galleon Remix 2 by WheelOfFate456**

Syl landed first, followed by the easy landing of the league, then the crew, which Usopp crashed, luckily, into a Kremling. Syl held his hand up and shouted a order,

"League and Straw Hats! Find the captain and take him out! Go!"

Everyone splited up, with Syl and Luffy working together. Franky assisted through cannon-fire.

A huge musclar Kremling stopped Chopper. He laughed a little and bellowed,

"I'm huge and you're tiny. Just run away before you become a smear."

Chopper trandformed into his Heavy Point.

The Kremling had barely time to gulp before he was sent flying.

More Kremlings stopped Nami and Robin.

"Some pirate crew!" One of them shouted. "Two girls that could easily be beat up by us superior…"

He didn't have time to finish as he and his crew was held down by numberous pair of hands and struck with lighting.

"I'm not weak! I just have an very innocent face, that's all!" said Nami. Unbeknownist, a huge Kremling tried to sneak up behind her…

"Mutton Mallet!"

The powerful kick sent by the Love Chef sent the poor Kremling into the sea.

Sonic and Mario, once again, work together to take out some enimes. Sonic ran around in a circle, creating a medium-sized whirlwind. Mario set it on fire, making Kremlings run in fear. Sonic managed to make the fire torando destroy the cannons, earing a "SUPER!!!" from Franky.

Brook, Sora, Link and Zoro slashed their way thorugh the Kremlings, cutting one down after another. Brook and Sora were the ones who took down the small ones and fast ones, while Link and Zoro handled the big ones.

As for Usopp, he fired and run, fire and run, fire and run…you get the idea.

And Syl and Luffy beat up Kremling after Kremling until they burst the door to K. Rool's captian quarters. He instantly got angry.

"What's the meaning of this? How dare you inturde into my quarters without permission you landlubbers! Do you want to walk the plank?"

Syl, being himslef, smart-aleckly replied, "Argh! Thar' be trouble for ye, ye blasted croc! It shall be ye walkin' the plank!"

Luffy clapped. "Yosh, that's a good pirate imtation! Can you teach me?" Syl looked smug.

K. Rool looked like he was going to burst. "Die, evoled monkeys!"

_Errrkkk!!!_

"Huh?" replied both 'evoled monkeys.'

K. Rool burst. Yelling in gibberish, he grabbed his blunderbuss, he charged at the heroes.

**MUSIC:Donkey Kong Country 2 Kaptain K. Rool Remix by WheelOfFate456**

Rool fired three shells at once. Luffy pulled himself over to oneside, while Syl simply ducked and roll at Rool. He attempted to catch Rool with his sword, but Rool used his 'jet' in his blunderbuss to avoid, nearly hitting Luffy.

"Gum-Gum Whip!" Luffy whipped out his leg at Rool sending the croc flying towards Syl, who transformed his Spirit sword aura baseball bat-shaped and struck Rool. Rool fell into his desk, crushing it. He jumped back up, and fired randomly and fast, think it like this line, 'say hello to my little friend!'.

Syl and Luffy took cover behind a couch. The firing continued on, tearing everything up, K. Rool laughing like a manic. Syl shot the couch with a blast, sending it flying. Rool stopped firing to watch the couch flying at him. It sent him flying out the window into the deck, where the League & Pirates v.s. Kremlings battle raged on.

Syl and Luffy followed him outside, to see Rool fire at the good guys, gaining cheers from the Kremlings. Rool whacked Nami with his gun, knocking her overboard. Luffy caught her, and placed safe behind a barrel. Rool manned a working cannon and began firing like crazy.

How the cannon kept firing like a machine gun is beyond me.

Rool turned towards the captain and the leader. He fired once, but regretted as he saw the rubbery captain swell up.

"Gum-Gum Ballon!" Luffy swelled up, stopping the League and the Kremlings to gasp in awe of the power. Syl's right foot grew into a blue aura boot, like his Spirit Fist, but it was called…

"Spirit Leg! And…Spirit Kick!" The cannon ball was launched at speeds it never had reached. Rool just watched as the shell landed perfectly inside the cannon and exploded, knocking Rool to the deck below. He grunted and decided to use 'that'…

"Where did go?" Luffy and Syl followed down to the deck they thought Rool had fallen down too, but thye didn't see giant croc with pirate gear.

They both were hit by blunderbuss shells.

Rool laughed as he fired spike balls and turned off his invisiblity. Syl and Luffy quickly recovered and rolled out of the way of the bouncing spike balls that came their way. Hiding behind a barrel, they decided it was time to end the battle.

Syl charged up a large Spirit Ball. Luffy ran forward, streched out, grabbed Rool's legs, and swung him up in the air. Quickly, while Rool was still in the air, Luffy launched forward, carrying Syl with him. He shoved Syl forward, as Syl shoved forward the Spirit Ball, exploding in Rool's chest, sending him flying.

The techinque was called:

_Spirit Gum-Gum Bazooka!!!_

Rool's scream filled the air, and died over the horizon. The Kremlings stopped, and retreated, with the League and the Pirated escaping on one of Sunny's side boats.

**MUSIC: Chrono Cross Music - Victory ~A Gift of Spring~**

Gained: 345 Berries/Coins/Munny

Kremling's Spiked Gloves

450 EXP

**SYL LEVLED UP!(LV. 8)**

**Syl:** I can't be beat!

**MARIO LEVELED UP! (LV. 9)**

**Mario:** Yahoo!

**MARIO LEARNED: FLAMMING MALLET!**

**SONIC LEVELED UP! (LV. 8)**

**Sonic: **Can you keep up with me?

**SONIC LEARNED: HOMING TACKLE!!!**

**LUFFY LEVELED UP! (LV. 9)**

**Luffy:** Yosh, I'm good!

* * *

Everyone celebrated the victory with another grand feast, expect it was more festitive this time, unlike the simple lunch they had earlier.

Brook was playing more music, and Link joined in with his ocarina. Luffy aand Mario started a eating contest, with Luffy easily winning. Sanji, in between trying to woo the girls and serving food, was fighting Zoro whenever possible. Syl and Sora talked about things, like the battle, weapons, and life in general, with Syl censoring some parts he didn't want to tell. Usopp was entertaining Franky and Chopper with his stories, the most recent one about 'Satan the Croc'. Nami and Robin just simply talked, and forced Luffy and Zoro (in that order) to dance with them.

Just to annoy Sanji, of course.

After Mario some how catched up to Luffy, and beat him, Luffy (with his belly buldging) asked Syl, "Hey, that reminds me. What was the thing you were trying to tell me before?"

Syl pondered, remembered, and asked,

"Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, will you join the Heroic League, a group of the macroverse's greatest heroes and heroines, and be willing to protect it whenever possible?"

"YEAH!!!"

Huh. Sora and Luffy must work on the same wavelength.

"Luffy! Hold on for a moment! What about us? Your dream?" shouted Nami.

Luffy stopped. A great adventure was there in front of him, but it could mean the loss of becoming the king of the pirates. Would it also mean he would leave his nakama behind?

"How about this? You guys could take a vacation and wait for Luffy to get back." Syl suggested. "Besides, by the looks of things, you're the crew that stands the best shot at getting One Piece, you push everyone else out of way."

"Syl…" said Luffy in a quiet voice. "I'm not too sure…"

"Hold on…" Nami got up and rummaged through her bag, and pulled out a map. "There's a small vacation isle named Costa De La Mucho just north of here. We could use a vacation… (away from Luffy)" said (and thought) Nami.

Yeah, yeah. I know the isle's name is too simple, just humor me.

"I'll think about it." Luffy left to his cabin in silence.

"I don't think that was a good idea…" Syl spoke after a second of silence.

* * *

So the ship had set course to the vacation isle, and landed there the next day, much to the crew's joy.

Nami and Robin changed into their new swimsuits, gaining nosebleeds from Sanji and other poor on-lookers (Brook made another Skull Joke about that), and headed to the beach to work on their tans. Mario, Sonic, Franky, Usopp and Chopper entered a sand-castle building contest, with Mario and Sonic betting they can win the contest, winner gets 5,000 berries.

Franky won.

Link and Zoro started a sword-duel, gaining attention, and some money for Nami to steal. The duel was furious, but it could be seen it was a fun battle, not mortal kombat.

Yes, that kind of mortal combat. The deadly one with the 'k' instead of 'c'. The more deadly one.

Syl and Sora were just relaxing on the beach. Syl had simply exchanged his blue jacket and black shirt for clothes he had in his 'galaxy bag.' He now wore a black fitness shirt, with white descending under the armpits. His new jacket was a somewhat-pale-green dress shirt unbuttoned. Sora had bought some swimming shorts and like Syl, just laying down under an umbrella in some beach chairs.

"This is nice." Said Sora.

"Work, and get a vacation. This is nice." Replied Syl. "But still…"

"Yeah?"

"It's moments like this that bad things happen."

"That sounds cliché."

"Life is one big cliché, isn't?"

How right Syl was…for the walls, trees, and people had eyes…

* * *

"Step Two…" said the mysterious man. "Is easy to say, but hard to pull off…"

"Kidnap the crew…"

* * *

Chopper was the first to go.

'Sniff, sniff.'

"WOW! That's the best popcorn I've ever smelled! And, hey, COTTON CANDY!" so the doctor ran towards the vender selling the fattening treats.

"Here you go, you sweet hairy kid." And, out of no where, he handed some cotton candy to Chopper, free.

"Sh-hut up!" Chopper after doing his dance, took a bite and fainted through the knock-out chemical.

The vendor shoved him into his cart and walked off in a direction.

* * *

Usopp and Franky came next.

"LOOK, sharpshooter! There's a sale on wood!" Franky pointed in the direction of a hardware store with a sign that read, "_50% Off All Wood!"_

"Huh. I could use some wood for mine latest project, the SUPER-DUPER Usopp Launcher. And Nami wouldn't mind buying some cheap wood…"

"Let's go then!" Both of them ran towards the store, and walked in…

…a cage.

The cardboard storefront and the cage were dragged into the forest.

* * *

Nami, Robin, Sanji and Brook were the next in line.

To be brief, a fake salon and a mixed-sex hot tub was the all the kidnappers needed.

* * *

"Hey, Mario." Asked Sonic, who was buried in the sand thanks to a small kid.

"Yeah-a?" replied Mario, also under the same conditions.

"I don't see any of the pirates…where do you think they all went?"

"I don't-a know. I do-a know that Luffy was-a still on the ship."

"Ah. I'm stuck. You?"

"Yep."

"Damn."

* * *

"Hey, Sora, where's Link and Zoro?" Syl asked.

"The fight led into the forest. But they have been gone a long time."

"Really? I haven't seen the crew in a while either. Hey, Luffy coming down."

Luffy walked down off the ship. He still was in the quiet mood he had last night. He walked towards Syl, and once at him, Luffy said,

"I still haven't decided yet."

"Take your time. I got plenty of that."

"Hey, where is everyone?"

Syl and Sora shrugged.

Then Link burst out of the woods, blocking in mid-air a attack from a group of non-descript pirates. He rushed towards his friend's side, throwing a smoke bomb to distract his chasers.

"Those people knocked out Zoro and ran off to the center of the woods." He said drawing his bow and readying arrow.

"I wager a guess they probably got the rest of crew." Said Syl as he drew his sword.

"Probably." Link fired a arrow at a shadow in the smoke. It fell in a scream as the rest of the pirates charged at the heroes.

4 v.s. 4. Sad to be the pirates.

They did try to give a good fight, but, remember; they only set traps, and avoid combat whenever necessary.

So they lost in a whopping 5 seconds.

Sonic and Mario also came around, having somehow escaping, to throw the bad guys into the forest.

"How did you guys capture the Straw Hats again?" Syl pondered out loud.

"Hey," remarked Sora. "One of them has something on it…" He pointed towards a shell.

"Hey, a snail phone." Luffy looked on.

"Snail phone."

"Yep."

"Wow."

The snail's head popped out and spoke. "Call for Luffy."

So Luffy picked it up, and answered.

"…Yes?"

"_Hello, Straw Hat. Nice to hear your voice. I'll make sure to remember it after your execution_."

"Wait, what does that have to do with my nakama?" Luffy sounded impatient.

"_Simple. You turn yourself in to me, your friends can continue the journey without, think of it like this, and you're going to become their martyr_."

"How do I know you won't just take all of us to the gallows?"

"_It's a personal matter. Besides, if I really wanted everyone, why would I send mis-fit pirates after you? I would have sent…"_

Sonic grabbed the snail-phone. "Wait, you made K. Rool come here?"

"_Yes. Right now, he's wondering what happened last night. He was a distraction, like he would be the only threat in the League's adventures for new recruits…_"

It was Syl's turn to grab the snail-phone. "Who are you? How do you know everything that's going on, things you shouldn't know?"

"_I have a feeling that I'll be interrupted every time I pone my mouth. I'll be brief. The person who I work for and gives me the equipment that I need as a bounty hunter has a interest in you. As for surrendering, Luffy, come alone to the cave in the middle of the island. Enjoy your last moments of freedom_." The call ended.

Luffy dropped the snail-phone and walked off towards the forest, but Syl stopped him.

"You're just going to give up? What about your dream?"

"…" Luffy continued to walk off.

"That's it? Just let him win? Like you said, you don't know if he would take all of you in for the bounty."

"I don't care. I kick his ass anyway."

"He sounded a bit too confident to make remarks like those. You're walking into a trap. How much simpler can it get?"

"…" Luffy continued to walk.

"What happened to the fun Luffy? Was my comment too much?"

Luffy suddenly punched Syl, sending him to the ground. Syl also noticed blood dripping out of his mouth from the powerful punch. Link and Sora rushed to his side, pulling him up. Luffy continued to walk on.

"Listen, Luffy."

"What more crap do you have to say?"

"I lost many of my nakama in my past, because of my dumb, incredibly stupid ways. Not like greed, lust or jealously, but I just was an idiot." Luffy slowed down, but not really stopping.

"I lost two of my best friends in something I was forced to watch."

Luffy stopped completely. The rest of the League was surprised. Syl was telling his private past to someone who wasn't part of the League.

"I won't tell you the whole story, now it's not the time. But, I tell you, I don't want anyone to go through anything I went through. You guys went through worse, and I feel inferior to you guys, regardless of ability."

"Luffy. We can help you, but you have to try to work with us. You get stronger that way. We can help you save your nakama."

He walked towards Luffy, and held out his hand. "Would you let us in? To save your friends?"

Luffy's head went down, hiding his face under his hat, and in deep thought.

He shook his hand with his big smile, grinning and giggling.

The League, all of them, got together and thought of a plan…

* * *

Luffy walked in the cave. It was dark, grey, and eerie.

Up ahead, in the round-shaped dead end, were cages, some empty, and some filled with the crew.

Luffy ran forward, and shouted their names. "Zoro! Robin! Chopper! Sanji! Franky! Usopp! Brook! Nami!"

But he was stopped by a large group of pirates. They were quietly snickering. Someone was clapping in the dark area.

"Well done, well done! Luffy, you're a good man. You're an inspirational to anyone, sacrificing your life for your friends. It almost makes me cry!..." said a voice.

"But enough of that. Your friends are free." A snap of fingers, and the cages were opened, and the crew stepped out. "You may say your good-byes…for a minute. I'm under schedule."

"LUFFY!!!" shouted the crew and raced towards him.

"Time's up! Sorry, I'm behind a bit, so I'm going to pick up the pace." Said the voice. So the rouge pirates shoved the wailing crew outside and shackled Luffy.

"Ready to die?"

"Just one quick question. Who are you?"

"Simple."

A large, fat man stepped out of the shadows, dressed in fancy clothes.

"I'm the brother of Don Krieg, Leonardo Krieg. I want revenge for my brother's defeat…"

"OH, COME ON!!!"

Everyone turned around to see a group consisting of two teen, an elf, a plumber, and a blue hedgehog.

Syl continued. "ALL THIS TO CRAP TO FIND OUT THAT THE VILLAIN OF THIS CHAPTER IS MADE-UP CHARACTER? ONE WHO'S GOING TO DIE BY THE END OF THIS CHAPTER? THAT'S STUPID!!!"

"…uh…who are these people?" asked Leo.

Syl proudly announced, "We're the Heroic League. I'm the founder Syl Wally Wallace, and I'm going to enjoy kicking your fat ass out of this story. These are my friends…"

"DO I CARE? YOU'RE WASTING MY TIME!"

"Right, we can tell you have a bad temper. Can you tell us who is helping you? Please?"

"Listen, that doesn't matter! I just want Straw Hat's bounty!"

"…Do I care about what you think? Really? You think…"

A gunshot rang out!

It hit Syl!

He fell down!

Fragmented sentences!

Leo's laugh filled the air. However…

It stopped short when Syl got back up.

He also started to pat all around his body, like there was a bug running up and down his body.

"Gunshot? Gunshot! I've been gunshot!" He began to wave his arms in a robot-like way.

Leo's eye twitched as the League burst out in laughter, even Link found this funny. He managed to sputter out, "How?"

Syl stopped laughing to reply,

"My Spirit Power can protect me from gunshots. I always keep a thin barrier on me the entire time, it's not much, but it can withstand your pistol any day! So, about you giving up…"

"NEVER! ATTACK! ATTACK! KILL THEM!!!!" The pirates charged at the League. Sora pulled out his Keyblade, and struck off the chains keeping Luffy down.

"After you." Politely said Sora.

Luffy, grinning his idiot grin, announced "Gum-Gum Gatling Gun!" and easily beat up the pirates.

Once again, Syl asked out loud how they caught the Straw Hat pirates in the first place.

Leo had somehow, during the three-second fight, had put on a huge armor, bigger and bulkier than his brothers.

And now, speed!

**MUSIC: One Piece Grand Adventure: Boss Battle**

_Leonardo Krieg has entered the battle!_

_Luffy attacked!_

_L.K. took __**78**__ damage!_

Luffy, Sonic, & Sora: _Huh? What's going on…_

Syl, Mario & Link: _Don't ask._

_Mario used Flaming Mallet!_

_L.K. took __**104**__ damage!_

_L.K. attacked with Chain Guns!_

_ALL took__** 56**__ damage!_

_Syl & Link Combo Attack! _

Syl and Link stood back-to-back. Both started to glow Spirit blue, and began to spin around in a fast 360 circle, turning into a blue tornado.

**SPIRIT HACKING TORANDO!!!!**

The two stopped spinning, and sent the tornado to attack L.K. It hit him in a furious manner, finally throwing him up, and send him crashing to the ground.

_L.K. took __**309**__ damage!_

_L.K. pulled out something…_

_It's a bomb! He throws it up in the air!_

_He pulls out a gun! He fires at the bomb!_

**METEOR BOMB!!!!**

_Molten bomb fragments fall on the group!_

_ALL took __**243**__ damage!_

_Crap! Syl and Sora has fainted!_

_Sonic used Donald Summon!_

_Donald used Curaga!_

_Sora is revived!_

_Luffy used Gum-Gum Storm!_

Luffy ran towards L.K. He kicked him up in the air. He jumped up to catch him in mid-air, and…

"GUM-GUM…STORM!!!!" He pounded furiously on L.K., continually punching him everywhere, causing L.K., for the first time in his spoiled life, to feel pain. He couldn't scream, for the fists were endlessly hitting him everywhere, opening his mouth would hurt him more than ever. Luffy, however, was screaming at the intensity he was going at to pound this bastard into dust for all the trouble he caused. Each hit made the two rise up in the air further and further.

Ending it, Luffy pulled his arms back to where they touched the ground, and launched them as hard he can at L.K., the finisher, Gum-Gum Bazooka. L.K. was sent flying like a space rocket, just disappearing in a blur, crashing through the ceiling and off into the blue.

**MUSIC: CHRONO TRIGGER: VICTORY MUSIC**

Gained: 450 Money

Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji Summon Orbs

Wootz Armor

565 EXP!

**SORA LEVELED UP! (LV. 8)**

**Sora:** That's the Keyblade for you!

**SORA LEANRED: SONIC RAVE!**

* * *

"So you're leaving? You sure about this?" Asked Nami, outside the Allmacht, which had been moved off the ship to a dock. Everyone was safe, including Syl, who was revived after the battle, much to his anger.

"Listen, everyone, I need to get stronger. MUCH stronger. I can't protect you if I don't do this. You guys could also use a vacation anyway."

"Captain, don't forget about us. Good-bye, and good luck." Robin left. "Coming, Swordsman-san?"

"Fine. See you Luffy. Link, our duel isn't finished." Zoro walked off with Robin, who got her arm around Zoro's arm.

Sanji didn't act. Odd.

"Sanji…what's is-a going on with Zoro and Robin…" began Mario.

"Lost a bet. Have a fun time, Luffy. If you can, bring back pictures of all the pretty ladies you meet!" Sanji said as he bounced off with hearts in his eyes at two binkied women.

"Have a SUPER time, Captain! I have to finish repairing the Sunny!" Franky ran off in the direction of the Sunny, somehow producing a hammer, wood and a bucket of nails. "Coming Long-Nose?"

"See you guys!" Usopp as he ran off to help.

Chopper and Brook waved good-bye, and left to get a book.

Nami just simply hugged Luffy, said good-bye and left.

Was she crying over Luffy? Her back was turned, but her shaking head and hand up to her face showed that she was crying.

* * *

Luffy was crying on the ship.

"I'm going to miss them…"

Syl sat down besides Luffy. He said,

"Being a adventurer means a lot of things. One of them is leaving friends behind. But don't worry. You always make new ones, and return to your old friends, and your new friends overtime become old friends. You always come back. I make sure of that."

"I feel a bit better, but not much."

Syl slapped him on the back.

"Don't worry! You might recognize the next recruit."

"Sora!"

"Yes, sir?"

"Set course to…Tsuchi-Shinobi!" (Ninja-Earth)

The Allmacht sped off to the new world...

* * *

Leo landed on a island, where the hooded man was waiting. He chuckled as Leo landed face-first.

"Funny. I was never a scholar, yet I knew you would land here right now. Predictable."

Leo got up and yelled (Bad choice), "I had a good plan! You could have at least tell me that I was going up against super freaks! And I think you're like one of them too!"

The hooded man didn't react. "Please say that again. Just for measure."

Leo smiled and opened his mouth, "I said you're a super fre…"

He never finished his sentence as the hooded man raised his hand blew away Leo with a huge red beam.

Nothing remained. The hooded man walked off to his ship to see where the League went…

**END OF EPIC 5**

**COMING SOON: EPIC 6: HOKAGE OF THE NINE-TAILS**

**MY GOD, THIS CHAPTER IS LONG!!!!**

**This is probably the hardest chapter I typed up. That's why I sent previews. So I don't keep you in the dark.**

**Please review! **

**ALL MUSIC AND CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR CREATORS**

"_**See ya!**_"** ~ Megaman Trigger, _Megaman Legends_**


	6. Interlude: Past, Present, Future

**Heroic League Interlude: Vision of the Past, Present, and Future**

'**Exploring, We Go' ****by Sylvin Wallace**

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

_Ore kan sho kyousei monogoto (I have seen many of great things)_

_Datte, mada, kon issai arata (But, yet, this all new)_

_Ore kibou tame suuta kyousei abanchu-ru (I hope to have many great adventures)_

_soukou motte maro (traveling with you)_

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

_Kyousei monogoto tachi o hon houto (Many things stand in our way,)_

_Mada, chin kan shouri (yet, we can win.)_

_Tsukkomu harukani! (Let's go far!)_

_Settai tame hon seken (Welcome to our world)_

_Chin ureshii tame maro koko (We're glad to have you here)_

_Douzo, setsuzoku touhou on hon tankyuu (Please, join us on our quest)_

_Bouken, chin tsukkomu (Exploring, We Go.)_

* * *

The hooded man watched the planet decay, and die. He enjoyed doing that, especially when he was bored watching the League just fly around the cosmos, and make pit stops. You think that a group of heroes would be interesting to watch.

Bored, he decided to end it, and with a wave of his hands, blew the planet up, destroying over 3 billion lives, erasing a history that no one will never know, or remember.

A metal pod drifted off into space. He didn't bother; survivors would tell how a man single-handedly destroyed their planet, creating fear, anarchy, and chaos throughout the macroverse.

Who is this man? He's a man with a plan for the future. The future he decided for everyone, one where he calls the shots.

And the League was the part of the plan, the plan to help in the present. He would need them later.

A black, thick, mist, came close to him from out of nowhere. He recognized it as the same mist that he sent to the pirate world to cause trouble. He waved his hands again, and it vanished.

The past caught up to him. He was born from the stuff, he preferred not to use it, due to effects.

Past, present, and future. These things were all he needed.

His plan also was, and needed these times.

He was going to become a new definition of evil.

He was…a twisted person. That's all there is to it.

Time would reveal more about him...but not now...

* * *

_A little interruption from the regular story. It may be awhile before I can do the next Epic, but please, hold tight._

_Please review._


	7. Hokage of the NineTails Pt1

**HEROIC LEAGUE EPIC 6: HOKAGE OF THE NINE-TAILS**

**New Theme Song: Traveling Far From The Past ****by Sylvin Wallace**

_I know what it is like,_

_To live alone._

_Family gone for good, and friends too._

_But, yet, I'm…_

_READY TO START MY NEW LIFE!_

_The door is open,_

_I'm ready to go!_

_A brand new day is awaiting…_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together, we shall…_

…_push forward!_

_Our pasts live inside of us,_

_But they're more like nightmares._

_But yet,_

_We can't forget…_

…_the place we come from._

_Even if we can't go there again!_

_The gateway is ajar,_

_And we're off!_

_Tomorrow is coming,_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together we shall…_

…_fly far!_

_Yesterday…_

_All my troubles came on that day…_

_They're here to stay…_

_..but..._

_I must remember one thing…_

_Never forget…_

…_never forgive._

_The path is ready,_

_And off we go!_

_Next day is just around the corner,_

_But I don't care!_

_Just me and my friends…_

…_go on!_

* * *

_Well, this is the new theme. _

_Yeah, I hated the old stupid one. This one is much better by my opinion. So leave any comments on it._

_Onwards!_

* * *

Snow was falling in the mountains. Not to much, but enough to have a snowball fight or build a snowman. Tourists loved coming here at this time of year to enjoy the scenery, it also a popular honeymoon get away. The moment was very serene.

But the mood was ruined for the two people fighting.

There were several stone, circular rest stops throughout the mountain, and the fighters were fighting on the one nearest the peak. Blood, from both fighters, stained both the stone ground and the snow, and it continued.

One man was winning. The other tried to give a fight, but he never stood a chance. But both were tired, just the losing man was more tired and ragged.

It ended with a powerful roundhouse kick to the head, sending the loser flying into a bench, breaking his arm and making him spit out blood. He wasn't going to stay awake long. The winner, tired and hurt as he was, walked over to gloat.

"You thought you're so strong, huh? This shouldn't be a surprise!" He shouted, as blood dripped down his head. The loser said nothing. The winner kicked in him the stomach, angrily.

"Why bother? Why go around and do this? Why pretend to live a dream that can never happen?" He yelled directly into the loser's face.

"Simple. Because I can, and you can't not. And honestly…I don't care for your opinion." Weakly replied the loser. This made the winner even angrier. His fists clenched even harder.

He raised his foot. "Good-bye…"

"…Syl." And he shoved it in Syl's face.

* * *

_The Day Before:_

The Allmacht was cruising among the stars, planets, and other beauties of space. The perfect speed to take in the scenery, enjoy it, and _feel_ it. And that was Syl was doing. Watching space out the window in one of the few cabins that were installed. He hadn't changed back to his usual blue-white-and-black-jacket and his black T-shirt, he decided to go with the green-short-sleeved shirt over the short-sleeved-black-and white fitness shirt.

Got that?

Luffy entered, as he and Syl shared the cabin so that way Syl can get to know Luffy better. Luffy's mood improved, but he still felt sad over leaving his friends. Link, Mario, Sonic usually traveled alone, far away from home, and only felt worried about their friends. Sora was used to this.

"So…whatcha' writing?" Asked Luffy. Syl was drawing something on a notepad he bought with him. Syl smiled and replied,

"A poem. I think better alone, but I don't mind you. In fact, I was going to ask you something. Can you sit down?" Luffy sat down in a chair, backwards.

"Have you…loved someone greatly enough to marry that person?" Syl asked.

"Hmm…" Luffy thought. "Yosh, I never thought about that." He said, eating a drumstick (The meat, not the ice cream bar.)

"Where did THAT come from?"

"I don't know. It's clean though."

"Fine."

"So, why are you asking such a question?"

Syl took a deep breath. "You see, I know, for a fact, I'm not allowed to get romantically with anyone on any world besides my own. It would…it would…it's hard to describe this…because bad things could happen. I don't know what, when, and how, and don't want to find out. I know that sounds stupid…"

"Hey, I understand. Sora was talking something like that…muddling?"

"Meddling."

"Yeah, yeah, that's it!"

"But, this is want really I wanted to talk about. My…powers…come from love."

"…" Luffy just blinked.

"To explain, people that are connected to me on a…umm…'spiritual' level give me power unconsciously. Friends, family and…yeah…loved ones can make feel…well…powerful."

"VAMPIRE!!!"

"SHADDA UP!"

'Well, explain a little better next time!"

"I can't! I just don't know everything about my powers! Did yours come with an instruction manual? …No?...I didn't think so!"

"So, I'm traveling with a guy with incredible powers, who doesn't have any idea on his powers, and you need others to live?"

"Me in a nutshell! Do you think I enjoy this?"

"I don't think you're that powerful!"

Syl opened his mouth, and closed it. His face went from anger to sullen. So did Luffy's. Syl tried to say something, but nothing happened. He just sat there. Finally, he said something after a minute.

"You know what? I think you're right."

Luffy didn't know how to respond.

"Come on. I'm going to make everyone some scrambled eggs. Whenever they want to or not." Syl said, regaining his usual personality.

He left the room before Luffy, still a little stunned, ran off to enjoy the meal.

* * *

_On Tsuchi-Shinobi (Ninja-Earth)…_

A hooded figure met another hooded figure in a forest at midnight, both wearing black hoods.

Confusing? Sure!

"So…what do you what?" said the hooded figure that lived on this planet.

"A group of strangers is coming to this world. They possess great strength, greater than any Jonin, greater than any Kage, greater than you." Said the hooded figure that was from the earlier chapter.

"Heh. Really? About time something strong came along. I was getting…you know…bored." Hood # 2 started to walk off towards a huge city. Hood # 1 ran off to stop him.

"That's it? Just that was enough to convince you? I had slaves smarter you." Hood # 2 grabbed the first hood and lifted him up.

Still confused? Good!

"Are you…are you leading me into a trap? What are you trying to do?..."

"Oh, nothing. I just wondering if you were actually about to face six _gods_ alone."

"…What? O.K., you're messing with me. I ask again…"

"Oh, nothing. It's just…well…their leader is very powerful…more than your…_friend._"

Hood # 2 dropped him. "Him? Really?"

"Of course. He has a great of biblical proportions, even though he's a beginner, he can still Hood # 2 took a step back.

"…Hahaha! I better get another friend to keep the others busy while I see if I beat this leader. I feel…lucky." And Hood # 2 disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Hood # 1 just stood there. Then he too, left in a red burst of light.

Like son, like father…

* * *

"Hey…these are actually pretty good." Said Sora after a mouthful of scrambled eggs. Everyone had sat down in the small mess hall that was added recently. (Yes, I know. Not a word.) Mario and Sonic were fighting over to eat the most, but Luffy was, of course, winning. Sora and Link, like always, eating quietly.

I smell a bad running gag!

Syl had just ran out of eggs, milk, salt, and everything else his recipe called for. He had a small plate of his creation, but he didn't mind. His new friends were happy.

Besides, he is trying to lose some weight.

"Where did you find this recipe?" asked Sonic, while trying to fight off Mario.

"From my dad. I do have some more recipes from him…" And while we went on about pancakes and meat, Sonic realized a chance to burrow into Syl's past.

"So your dad is pretty awesome, huh?" He asked.

"Stop. Not yet, my friend on speed. By the way, I read the line above."

"…Huh…Oh, hey, we're here." He pointed out the window to a world that looked like Earth, only a bit smaller and more crowed countries.

"That was short-lived. Sora, head towards the village called Konohagakure. Our next member is there." Said Syl as he put the dishes in the dishwasher.

"Aye, aye, captain." Sora saluted, and walked towards the cockpit.

All was well…yet.

* * *

_By the way, to keep up with ever confusing storyline of Naruto, this takes after Jiraiya's death, but before the second invasion. Thank you for listening. Geeze, how I'm going to have the character meet? Wait, turn off the keyboard, this is private!_

* * *

In order, to blend in a bit better (Like an out-of-portion plumber, an elf, and a blue hedgehog blend well.) they landed the ship in a forest clearing and walked to the village on foot. Of course, the people had to stare at the crowd of weird people.

How is this any different from the regular Earth?

"Who are we looking for this time?" asked Sora, carefree as he put his hands behind his head.

"Look for something out of the blue. It's orange, fast, and probably crash into something soon."

"Huh?"

"Never mind, just rambling."

So they walked among the staring crowd, making heads turn and fingers point. But, eventually this died down as the people went back to their everyday normal lives, doing chores and selling goods, talking, and kissing. A usual day.

"I know where to find him. In there." Syl pointed to a ramen bar, a small one, but busy.

So they walked into Ichiraku Ramen Bar, and were right away greeted by the owner, Teuchi.

Yes, people, that's his real name. He does have one.

"Welcome travelers, to Ichiraku Ramen, where a true artisan is always at work! Hey, I remember you, Straw hat, you ate here a while back with my regular! And…you trashed this place. Oh well, I suppose you're to see him?"

"Yeah!" shouted Luffy, to be heard over everything going on.

"He's at the training grounds, just north of here…" Teuchi couldn't finish his sentence as Luffy ran off north.

"Huh. Don't worry, they'll both be back in about an hour. Want to try some dishes?"

Everyone else still there agreed, and sat down and ordered.

* * *

Luffy sprang over the city, hopping over building and building. People barely noticed, as normally ninjas do that daily. The only thought on their minds were, '_What kind of ninja dresses like that_?' But, for the most part, nobody really paid attention to Luffy flying over the village.

Until he passed by a certain tall tower. The Hokage's Tower. He stopped to look around, and figure if he was going in the right way. Stretching his legs up, he saw the area he was looking for, he flung himself in that direction. A figure in the tower looked on.

"So, he's back…I better watch this up close…" She left the room.

Luffy landed behind a tree to watch the person training up ahead. The person was training very hard, punching a dummy hard enough to be heard a mile away. The figure was angry, as his grunts matched his mood. He stepped back, clenched his fist tighter, and…

…missed and fell over.

Jumping to his feet fast, he noticed that some one stole the dummy. He grabbed a kunai from his pouch and secretly hid it in his sleeve. He looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He sniffed and listened, but found nothing.

His first clue landed with a thud next to his feet. The dummy returned, along with the stealer.

"YOU!" shouted Naruto (For it was he training.) "How…why…what…" He tried to find the question that he felt that needed to answered first.

"Hiya, Naruto! Did ya miss me?" Asked a smiling Luffy.

Naruto found his question. "Why are you doing here?"

"A couple of my new friends want you to join up with them to travel and have many adventures? Will you join?"

Naruto became even more confused. "What? What does that mean?"

"Well, we are a group that has a blue energy boy, an elf with an unknown weapon cache, a famous plumber, a blue speedy hedgehog, and a boy with a huge skeleton key sword!"

Yeah, nice descriptions there, Luffy. Poor Naruto is still confused.

"O.K…well, you still owe me for the bowl of ramen you stole for me!" Naruto threw the hidden kunai at Luffy, who dodged while holding his hat.

"HEY!"

"Give me back my money!"

Luffy stood his ground. In a serious tone of voice, he asked, "Seeing of course we have gotten stronger since our first meeting, why don't we have a fight?" He looked back up, with his battle-face, smiling, but serious,

Naruto smiled back. "Sounds good."

Both flew at each other, screaming.

* * *

Syl finished his non-veggie bowl of ramen and had a conservation with Teuchi

"So…what exactly happened between those two?" He asked after pushing Mario and Sonic away during yet another fight between the two. Link was talking with the weapon store owner and his daughter and Sora was still eating.

"It's a short story. Some tournament was going on, and Straw Hat stole Naruto's ramen. He tried to get his money back from Luffy, and didn't even reply to my offer of a free one!"

"Huh. Thanks to my 4th wall breaking skills…they're fighting right now!"

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Nothing important."

* * *

**MUSIC: NARUTO: BATTLE THEME**

The two punches collided in mid-air, sending the two to the ground. They ran at each other again, exchanging blows and dodging them. Luffy landed a hard one, and while Naruto flew back, Luffy followed behind, arms stretched behind him, and they suddenly pulled forward, Gum-Gum Bazooka-ing Naruto into a tree. Luffy pulled back another punch, but this one hit a log, and Luffy received a kick in the back of the head.

A rain of shruiken fell out of the sky, but Luffy grabbed a tree and pulled him to safety, and then flung himself at Naruto, head-butting him in the chest, once again turning into a log, and Shadow Doppelgangers grabbed Luffy and flung him down towards the ground, while pilling the kicks on. Before the final kick before the ground, Luffy flung his fists wildly out, Gatling Gun all of the clones, and finally pounding on the original.

He grabbed the original and threw him at the ground, and then started to really go all out as the ground rumbled as the punches began beat down Naruto and a single punch knocked down into the ground. Luffy stopped and took a couple of breaths before Naruto jumped out of the ground and sent him sprawling. He recovered and the close combat starts again.

Both noticed an opening, but Naruto's ninja reflexes got there first and hit Luffy, who countered with a grab that sent both of them into a tree. The battle went up both trees, both flying at each other and attacking, and landing on the next tree and climbing and repeat. At the top, they leaped up in the air, above the trees, above the forest. They charged at each other, sending both to the ground in a pile of punches and kicks. After pulling each apart, the fight continued.

And finally, it just turned into an all-out brawl.

Punching…

Slicing…(In Naruto's case)

Kicking…

Stretching…(In Luffy's case)

Throwing…

Smashing….

Chopping…

And so on, and so on. And now…

A single kick knocked Luffy back enough for Naruto to charge up his Rasengan. He ran forward with it, aiming it at Luffy's chest. Luffy also ran forward and started to windmill his arm, tighting it around, preparing for a powerful punch. The two edged in closer…

…and was sent back the way they came by a punch each. Both were knocked out instantly.

Tsunade cracked her knuckles. "Knuckleheads."

* * *

The lunch was over, and the league sent their separate ways to explore the village. Mario mentioned looking for some hammers and gloves while Sonic decided to race around the town to get the whole place memorized. Sora and Link went with the weapon store owner to check out the stock, while Syl just took a stroll. He met an apple dealer (Who bought his favorite from, a Gala.), a beggar (Who Syl donated a good amount to, who exchanged gave Syl a trinket that man said that prevented paralyzation.) and ended up at a flower shop.

And saw a goddess.

Oh boy. Syl is in love. This should be embarrassing.

Ino had just sold some violets to an elderly woman, a regular. It was a slow day, so she mostly bored. She looked around and noticed only three people were in her eye-sight. The old lady, some merchant carrying his goods around in two baskets, and some nerdish guy walking towards the store…

Wait…

"Hello. Do you have any blue bonnets?" Asked Syl, putting his arm casually on the front desk.

Well, at least he stayed away from the bad jokes.

"I'm sorry sir; we don't have any right now. Please come back later this year." Politely answered Ino. Looks-wise, bad, but he was friendly.

"So…quick question…can you take a break?"

Screw the last statement.

"Excuse me? Did you…"

"Did I offend you? I'm sorry, I was just wondering."

"Well then, unless you have no business here, please leave." Ino pointed towards a "No Loitering" Sign in a corner. Syl stared for a moment, and ignored it as he went back to his one-sided flirting.

"I'm actually a little bit rich. If you have any free time, I can treat you to something of your preference."

"Listen, I don't who the hell you are, and why the hell should I go out with you?"

"Because I'm honest?"

"How is that important?"

"Well…a guy can be dishonest with their girl…and, will never, EVER, stoop that low. Err…why is that pot over your head?"

POW!

Syl fell to the floor, awake, but in pain. Ino, with that angry look in her eyes, walked up to him, but Syl moved backwards, until he ran into a wall, and got back up.

"What!...I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable…yipe."

Syl ducked as Ino punched, leaving a hole in the wall. Syl got back up, only to have Ino grab his shirt collar and lift him up.

"Listen perv." Ino said through gritted teeth.

"Hey, watch it, that's offensive! Wait…" Syl stopped to think. "Actually, during my freshman year, everyone agreed on the fact that 'all boys in this school are perverts." So, yeah, I guess I am one."

"GET OUT!" said Ino as she threw outside. Syl got up, and picked up a rose from a hanging pot. He sniffed it, actually, for once in his life, enjoying the smell.

"I'm think I'm in temporary love." He said with a smile on his face. But after he said that, the smile fell, and became sullen."

"Sadly, this is the only time where temporary is permanent." He dropped the rose back in its pot and walked back towards the ramen bar…

"Excuse me, is this pirate yours?"

* * *

All the League met inside the tower, with Luffy and Naruto tied to their chairs. Tsunade was looking at a file, occasionally looking up to pay attention to the tied two's bickering. She closed the file and asked Syl,

"So, you want to hire Naruto to do…what, again?"

"Protect the universe, ma'am." Syl returned to his relaxed, but with manners, nature. He was least not making any smart-aleck comments.

"Not exactly a detailed explanation." Replied Tsunade, sipping some tea that Shizune made and served, only Syl denied some. (He hated both tea and coffee.)

"Well, I like things to be simple." Replied Syl, who was get a _little_ too laid back…

"Well, then, unless you can give a better excuse, I can't let you have him."

Naruto stopped fighting for a moment. "But Grandma Tsunade, I could use this to our advantage. We could always use extra people to fight the Akatsuki…"

"Naruto…" Tsunade looked on with a non-threating, but a serious look.

"Yes…I get it." Naruto replied with a sad look on his face. Luffy stopped, and looked on, and realized the sadness behind Naruto's eyes. The pain of a lost friend, killed by the enemy. He had seen this a lot, with others, and with Nami. Luffy had grown without a mother, and everything time he thought she was dead, he felt sad. No other words could emphasize this moment, as sadness is sadly pure, just one thing all together, and nothing can ever re-define that.

Syl picked up. He spoke a moment later, "The Heroic League was just a dream of mine a couple years back to escape my life. I wanted to go somewhere than beyond the back door. I wanted to meet the people I saw everywhere and walk beside them and learn from them. Hell, it used to be called the Heroic Friends! As I grew up, I found more heroes that I wanted work with, and decide to fight against any threat that tries to spell doom. I finally made my dream come true, part-way. Hokage-san," Syl sat down on the ground, but bowed his head to show loyalty. "I pledge my allegiance to you, the village, and this world."

He remained there for a period of silence.

"Please, that was horribly cliché." Was Tsunade first remark. Syl almost got up…

"But I do sense that you're a kind, gentle, good soul. Despite that corny speech…

"…The village of Konohagakure accepts your friendship, and we are always open to you and the others."

Syl got up. "Thank you, Hokage-san." He bowed.

Tsunade followed suit. "You're most welcome. Before you take Naruto…"

Sonic was surprised. "Wait…You going to let him go?"

"Yeah, after today's incident, better somewhere else than here." She replied with a smirk.

* * *

At dinner time, the League, with No.6 Naruto, went to a fancy ramen restaurant to bring Naruto up to par with the rest of the League. Back stories were discussed, powers were talked about, plans were discussed…

And I'm too lazy…

Mario, Sonic, Naruto, and Luffy entered a eating contest that was… conveniently …being held that night. The challenge was to eat what ever was served in front of you and you would win a full year of free meals. 40 people entered, including the four mentioned above, and…

"Link?" asked Sonic.

"We could use the prize. The bill is going to cost us a little over half the money we have."

"Ha! You have-a no chance against us!" replied Mario.

"Ichiraku Ramen has eating contests every year, and guess who is the 6-Year Long Champion?" said Naruto with a finger pointing to him.

"Yosh, I always win!" simply put Luffy.

"ON YOUR MARKS!" shouted the waiter in charge of the event.

Link crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and readied himself.

"GET SET!"

The four gluttons grabbed their spoons and got closer.

"Don't forgot that tomorrow we have a sale in our store on…"

"GET ON WITH IT!"

"GO!"

Syl and Sora watched as everyone went crazy into the food, stuffing their cheeks with everything in the bowls. Link took his time.

After everyone finished their bowl, waiters arrived to pick up and drop off. And so, the contest went on, with the first person dropping out by the 5th bowl. Link was always the last to finish his bowl, earning 'hurry-up' looks from the others.

"Ugh, just watching these guys makes me lose my appetite." Sora said while pushing his half-full bowl over. Syl grabbed it and finished it off.

By the 24th bowl, all but the League were left. Luffy had swelled, Sonic was slowing down, and Link still keeping his pace. Naruto and Mario were in the lead, but both were looking like they were about thru.

The management noticed this, so they decided whoever finished the next bowl the fastest would win the prize. It didn't matter who won now, the prize would still go to the League, and it was now a matter of pride.

The final bowl was delivered. The gluttons reached slowly for their bowls…

"WE HAVE A WINNER!"

…while Link inhaled his in a manner in seconds. The other four fainted while Sora and Syl applauded Link and laughed at the glutton's misery.

While Hood # 2 watched, confused on why this moment even happened.

* * *

_**A BIG-LIPPED ALLIGATOR MOMENT!**_

* * *

Naruto woke up with a stomach ache. He looked around as his future team-mates laid around, cramped. As he got dressed, he thought of things he would do before leaving.

Get some ramen to go?

Prank Kakashi-sensai one more time?

Train some more?

Pay respect to the Pervy Sage?

He decided to screw it and do it all as he ran out of his window and leaving a note on his bed. He said his good-byes to Teuchi and Ayame while picking a three of each of his favorite ramen flavors, managed to catch Kakashi in a rope trap, but they did a nice conservation while Kakashi was still hanging there. Along with Kakashi, Kiba, Neji and Shikamaru, they trained for a good thirty minutes before they decided to pay their respects to Jiraiya while saying good-bye to Naruto.

Naruto walked through the town, taking a look at the scenery and everything, the people, the sights, anything. He was going to miss this place, but he also knew he would return someday, with others. And then, they will find Sasuke. He just knew it.

When he got back, he found only Syl was there, sitting up on Naruto's bed, with a burning, red slap mark on his face. He didn't look too happy. Naruto sat down next to him.

"Ino slapped me. It was my fault, again." Syl explained, already knowing Naruto's first question.

"Well, she isn't one to flirt with. Poor guy last fall still is living in the hospital."

"Yeah. But still, even if it goes against my code, I still would like at least to get to first base."

"DO. NOT. MENTION. THAT. CARTOON." Said Link, holding a sword at Syl.

"I wasn't going to mention that dumb-ass cartoon!...Did you have a nightmare?" inquired Syl.

"…Yes."

"You ate too much."

"…Yeah." Link dropped his sword and sat besides Syl on the other side.

"…Should I ask?" asked a very-confused Naruto.

"No, Naruto, it just was something bad from the past."

"Well…Syl, you still want Ino to least like you?"

"Yes. And no. I don't know." Syl buried his head in his hands. Link put a hand on his shoulder.

"Syl, don't worry. There is a girl out there for you. One where you can love as much as you want."

"Link…I hope, old pal. I hope."

It was a quiet moment.

Until Sora and Mario ran in. Sora spoke.

"Guys. We have something you really need to see."

A look out the window showed that a huge bull was terrorizing the city.

Wow. Subtle.

Syl jumped up, Spirit Healing making the mark go away. His smile appeared.

"Well, Naruto, ready for your first battle with the League?"

Naruto fixed his headband and together they ran towards the scene.

* * *

Kakashi and Anko were the first to arrive. Using info gathered by scouts, it was a Reuze Stier (Dutch for 'giant bull'), a S-Class Summon. It was angry, apparently the case here was the summoner messed up the spell and the beast went on a rampage.

"Even with the information, this still doesn't make any sense. Why any one summon this monster?" inquired Anko was she threw down the info.

"Regardless, it's a threat to the entire village. Come on!" Kakashi activated his Sharingan and the both raced towards the Stier, avoiding any debris that came their way. They both threw a storm of shuriken at the beast's horn, the weak spot. It only bounced off and irated the beast more, making him pick up a house and chunk it at the ninjas. They avoided it, but it cost them some room to fight.

The beast roared loud enough to stop both ninjas to swipe both them, knocking them into a wall, making them land into a house, completely trashing the place. Anko had broken her arm, and Kakashi had no choice to take her out of the harm's way.

"Move it!" He shouted at the beast, throwing two kunai at the beast eyes, stunning it.

Stunned. Not blinded. Kakashi realized that this was no mistake. Someone was declaring war.

Luckily, reinforcements arrived, and they looked ready to kick some ass.

Syl instantly charged up his sword and sent a few waves of energy at the beast, not to hurt, but to distract, while Luffy and Sonic ran towards the beast. Luffy stretched his arms to grab a spinning Sonic, twisted his arms around, and then shot forward, drilling into the beast's chest, and Sonic sprang out, hitting the beast with enough force to knock it down to the ground. The beast fired a huge ball of energy up into the air, hoping it to fall and destruct in the village.

But Link, Sora and Mario were waiting. Sora and Mario combined fire together to make a huge fire ball, not as big as the beast's, but, regardless, it was fired upwards. Just before it came in contact with the beast's attack. Link fired a bomb arrow at the fire ball, creating a huge explosion that destroyed the evil energy ball.

Naruto and Syl ran across the roof top to get to the beast. The Stier was getting up, and swatted away Luffy and Sonic. Doppelgangers appeared behind Naruto, charging a Rasengan. When the Stier's head was visible by the two, Syl stopped, and holding his sword like a rifle, sent a beam that destroyed the shield around the horn, allowing the Rasengan to shatter it, causing the Stier to slowly dissolve.

"That wasn't so bad." Said Sora as he and the others arrived.

But then the Stier exploded. Buildings either fell down or got caught on fire. Screams were heard all over as people burned. The League managed to reach a safe roof.

"Momma mia!" exclaimed Mario on the sight.

To make matters worst, Another Stier came out of nowhere, roaring to show who's boss. He was pounding the ground, sending shockwaves to this part of town.

"Naruto!" shouted someone behind the League. It was Sakura, nursing a wounded shoulder.

"Sakura! What is going on? What happen to you?"

"A trick…" She was very hurt, it was hard for her to speak. "Two hooded figures…wanted you…" She pointed at Syl. He was taken back. "They said…before they attacked me…to meet at that mountain." She pointed towards a snowy mountain before fainting. Naruto caught her, and slowly placed her down, growling in anger.

As, if on cue, the two hoods from the second scene appeared. Hood # 1 laughed a little, then spoke. "Well, Syl, we meet at last! Did you enjoy battling my friend last time?"

Syl, again, was taken back. "You sent Krieg? Were you also…"

The other hood didn't say anything, but held his hand up. Everyone was quiet. Hood #1 just said:

"Race you." Both hoods disappeared. But Hood # 1 returned to announce,

"Only Syl can come. Anyone else, and, you do understand those monsters are highly explosive, right?"

He left again.

"Syl, this could-a be a trap-a. What's the plan-a?" asked Mario.

"Simple. You guys stay and make sure the monster don't go Independence Day on everyone. Link, you're in charge." Syl walked off towards the mountain. Sora stopped him.

"You do understand they're leading you into a trap."

"Yeah. Only choice now is to spring it." He walked past him to only be stopped Naruto.

"And if the trap is someone you're not expecting?" Syl signed and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Pal, I'll be all right. Once you have all the monsters under control, then you can help me. Don't worry too much,I'll live longer!"

And with a smile on his face, he ran towards the mountain.

Link signed. "I afraid we have to get used to that. Come on, we have work to be done." He withdrew his sword.

And they charged straight into the beasts, leaving Sakura safe with the medical nin.

But one of the League was missing…

* * *

Syl hated the cold. Yet, he loved snow. Being born and raised in a very hot climate, he desired to have snow, and in an oxymoron, not to be cold. He didn't mind a gentle breeze, but the hot climate made even mild bitter for him. He switched back to his blue jacket and black T-shirt. Zipped all the way help tolerate the bitter hood that taunted him continued to do so, appearing right before him and Syl got close, he teleported to a different area, waiting for Syl, causing the poor hero to follow him to the place the hood wanted to go. The other hood wasn't around, apparently waiting.

The taunting hood stopped at a rest stop on the top of one the mountains. It was crafted years ago by stone crafters as a gift to Konohagakure. Syl ran forward with Black Wood in hand and stopped near the entrance of the rest stop, while the hood was in the center. The blue aura covered the wooden sword as Syl readied to duel off with the hood.

But the hood laughed, smirked, and vanished.

"What?" Syl asked to no one. The hood re-appeared, but…

"You're the silent one, aren't you? Where did your friend go?" The hood just remained there, silent.

"Hello? Any one inside that cheap black robe?" Still silent

"Know any good jokes?" Not a peep.

"Umm…know any cool tricks?" Mum's the word.

"I'm going to leave now…"

"No." The hood finally spoke. "I want to fight you, Spirited Hero. Just you. I want to prove that I'm stronger than you."

Syl was taken back. "You mean…monsters attacking….people burning…all of this…JUST SO YOU CAN FIGHT ME? Good god, don't invite me to your birthday party!"

"How else was I going to get your attention?"

"Just getting in my face is a much better way than attacking a village!" The two circled the rest stop. The blue aura around the sword got bigger and expanded onto Syl. It was becoming like a fire now.

"But you need a reason to fight. The villager's lives provide the best motivation."

"I don't need that! If you want a fight, just ask me! I could care less!"

"I can see your power growing. The anger…it's the fuel for the battle. You're going to need it."

Syl gritted his teeth as he divulge into more power, making the blue aura around him becoming fire-like, burning blue with little embers coming off. He knew that the hood was just pushing buttons…let it become his last mistake.

"Syl!" The fire died down a little bit as Syl noticed Naruto running up the mountainside. The hood stopped to notice, and then he stood up straighter than ever.

"…The deal was for you to come alone." Said the hood.

"Yeah! Naruto, why the hell are doing here? The others need you!"

"I'm going to help you beat this guy! You can't do it alone!"

"Actually…I pretty sure this guy a blowover."

"What if he's not?" Both were getting angry. Angry as in comical anger.

"At last, a challenge! Took 5 chapters and a mysterious interlude to get one!"

"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?"

"WHO CARES? HELP YOUR VILLAGE!"

"WE BEAT THESE GUYS, AND THE VILLAGE IS SAVED!"

"…Are you done yet? Baka."

"SHUT UP…wait." Naruto stopped in mid-sentence. He backed off.

"No…you can't be…no, you just can't…."

"I can, I am." The hood threw off his robe.

"Hello, Naruto. Still the mess-up, I see." Said Sasuke Uchiha, the missing nin, in all of his avenger glory.

* * *

_END PART ONE OF TWO. TUNE IN NEXT TIME._

* * *

**Sorry to leave you guys on a cliffhanger. I start to really drag my way through this, but I will see it to a end. Please review, tell your friends, read my other stories, review them, and have a Merry Christmas!**

**(Hannukah is over by this point)**

**I WILL DO PART TWO SOONER THAN YOU THINK! I HAVE LAZINESS!**


	8. Spirited Boy Vs The Avenger Pt2

**HEROIC LEAGUE EPIC 7: SPIRITED BOY V.S. THE AVENGER**

**Theme Song_: Traveling Far From The Past_ ****by Sylvin Wallace**

_I know what it is like,_

_To live alone._

_Family gone for good, and friends too._

_But, yet, I'm…_

_READY TO START MY NEW LIFE!_

_The door is open,_

_I'm ready to go!_

_A brand new day is waiting…_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together, we shall…_

…_push forward!_

_Our pasts live inside of us,_

_But they're more like nightmares._

_But yet,_

_We can't forget…_

…_the place we come from._

_Even if we can't go there again!_

_The gateway is ajar,_

_And we're off!_

_Tomorrow is coming,_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together we shall…_

…_fly far!_

_Yesterday…_

_All my troubles came on that day…_

_They're here to stay…_

_..but..._

_I must remember one thing…_

_Never forget…_

…_never forgive._

_The path is ready,_

_And off we go!_

_Next day is just around the corner,_

_But I don't care!_

_Just me and my friends…_

…_go on!_

* * *

_See? I got to this chapter a bit faster than the last few._

_Originally, I wanted to have one chapter per character, but by this point, it's not going to happen. Sorry if your character doesn't get much screen time._

_And now…LAST TIME ON THE HEROIC LEAGUE!_

_Syl and the others landed on Naruto's world, and, right off the bat, Luffy and Naruto fought until Tsunade stopped them. Syl is having soap-drama-like trouble with Ino. But hey, who cares, Naruto joined the league!_

_But then, the village was attacked by a bunch of hooded people and thier summoned monster, and who one wanted a battle with Syl on top of a mountain. Syl went up, and Naruto followed behind. Together, they discovered who one of the hoods really was..._

* * *

"What? Is it that surprising to see me here?" asked Sasuke while Syl and Naruto looked on, shocked, especially Naruto, due to seeing his old friend attacking the village.

"Sas…Sasuke…is it really you?" Naruto managed to get out.

Sasuke smirked, and with no real intention, flashed forward and knocked Naruto to the ground, and then attacked Syl, but missed, as he dodged in time. Sasuke left off with a small laugh.

"I see you do have 'something'. So leave behind this fool and let us fight." He withdrew his sword and got into battle stance, but Syl ignored him to pick up Naruto. Sasuke just stood there with his sword by his side.

"Listen, Naruto, you need to help the others. If he wants to fight, I kick his ass to the moon and back." Said Syl with a heavy tone of seriousness in his voice.

"No…I need to do that…I promised…" said Naruto, a little weak from being hit in the stomach. Syl smiled.

"Don't worry. Help your village, and I give you credit for the capture." Naruto looked at Syl's face, and after seeing the smile, he smiled back. He saluted for no apparent reason.

"Roger, captain!"

"That's colonel to you. I prefer colonel."

"O.k. Make it back safe, Colonel Wallace!" And with that, Naruto vanished in a cloud of smoke, back to the village.

"Fine. We're alone. Happy? Or just reified that you don't have to fight two people at once?"

"Happy. Naruto would have died first, then you." Sasuke picked his sword up and got into battle stance. Syl followed suit, picking up aura, now just a small flame instead of the former wildfire. Sasuke looked disappointed, but still he kept his stance, and began to circle. Syl also moved in the circle. They didn't say anything. Syl would talk about the villager's life, which Sasuke didn't care for. Sasuke would dabble on about using rage to battle, but Syl didn't care. They were just waiting for the moment to attack.

The snow fell calmly.

The two fighters lunged forward.

* * *

Numerous Reuze Stiers were still rampaging the village.

And there was nothing the shinobis could do.

"According to the info provided by the hooded man, the beasts will explode when defeated. It has come true, so the only plan left to take is to take monsters outside the village and dispatch them there." Said Shikamaru, with the others listening on.

"And how do we lure them out? Does any one know what bulls eat?" Asked Choji.

Akumaru barked, alerting the group that the Stiers were getting close. In fact, a giant hoof came down, but it missed squashing anything except for two buildings.

"Seriously folks, this problem needs to handled fast. Lives are at stake. Just get them away from the village." Said Kakashi. "Go!"

The League tackled one. Link and Sonic went head on, while Mario and Sora charged up a powerful Fire spell. Link and Sonic avoided hitting the horn, and instead stabbed the eyes and charged into the forehead, blinding it in one eye and dazzling it, allowing Mario and Sora to fire the spell, hitting it below the head, enraging the beast. It charged, making it the first to leave the village. Sora and Sonic chipped away at the horn while Link went after the other eye and Sonic kept the beast busy by weaving in and out its attacks.

Luffy's alone attack on one Stier ended with him on a rodeo out of the village.

Well, there IS more than one way to skin a cat…

Sakura arrived in time to help. However she asked a question to Ino.

"Where's Naruto?" But before Ino could reply, Naruto appeared. "Hey, I made it, Sakura! Did you miss me?"

"No, baka! Because you decide to blow up the huge-ass bomb, I ended up shrapnel in my back!" She screamed at Naruto.

"Sasuke is behind this." Is all Naruto said. Sakura and Ino stopped.

"Really? You're sure?"

"Syl is fighting him right now. He did all of this just to fight him." Naruto sounded broken. Ino took this in, but…

"Well, Sasuke-san will definitely win. That nerd has no chance."

"INO!"

"Fine, fine. Just a small chance. Now are we going to take down these monsters?"

Naruto and Sakura looked worried, about Sasuke and Syl. Regardless; they pushed forward, towards the nearest Stier. Sakura instantly punched it in its knee, crippling it, allowing Ino to cast her Justu and then, controlling it, made the Stier leave the village.

Naruto met up with Kakashi and Shino, who recently drove one out of the village.

"Naruto. Why did you leave the village?" immediately asked Shino. Naruto would have been surprised, but knowing Shino, he probably tracked Naruto through one of his bugs. And lo and behold, a medium-sized bug flew off Naruto shoulder and flew into Shino's awaiting hand.

"Sasuke did all of this just to fight Syl." Kakashi's eye opened up in surprise.

"Really? You're sure?" He asked.

"Definitely. But there is another hooded man working with him. He's the one that lead Syl to Sasuke." Replied Naruto.

"So maybe the other figure is the real villain, and Sasuke just in to fight Syl." Shino point-blankly said.

"Maybe. And maybe not. Come on, that Stier looks hungry, and seems to be in the mood for your apartment…" Kakashi said, pointing to Naruto.

"MY RAMEN!!!!" yelled a-already-gone Naruto, as he practically flew to the Stier, with Shino and Kakashi in pursuit.

* * *

Swords collided. Blue sparks flew. Wind rushed. Sweat dripped. Kicks were thrown and they missed.

Syl and Sasuke grunted. Neither were winning or losing.

The swords meet each other each time they were swung, regardless of strength, position or speed. No techniques, or special moves, just old-fashioned swordplay.

Sasuke darted to one side to slash, but Syl blocked. Syl slided under Sasuke's legs to attack from behind, but hit only the air left behind from Sasuke's jump back. They charged at each other, swords held tight, locked, and it became a push fight, but Sasuke finally got his first point as he pushed Syl into a bench, knocking him down.

"Come on. Show me your best! Or is that just it?" Sasuke taunted Syl, just before a medium-sized, blue-colored ball of energy exploded in his face, just stunning long enough for Syl to run up and slash Sasuke across the face, causing a small cut. This stopped Syl.

"Blood? Spirit can't cut flesh. I know for sure it can't make people bleed! That's the one thing I actually remember from my lessons!" He said to himself. Sasuke touched the cut, and looked the blood on his fingers.

"It seems like your friend was right." He said after a short moment.

"My friend?!?!? Listen dumb-ass, I don't even KNOW who this guy is! And what does he know?" shouted Syl, not noticing that his anger was once again igniting his Spirit aura into a fire. His sword's aura became some sort of a saw blade, with spikes instead.

"He said something about how anger could, say, 'motivate' a User. You know, something like this." And with that, Sasuke cheap-shot Syl, cutting through his jacket and shirt to leave a bigger gash on his shoulder. Syl winced, but held back crying out, and applied pressure to his shoulder.

"Why you little!..."

"Come know. We both had our shots. Just get back to fighting."

So both restarted the sword fight, but the difference was that both fighters forgot technique, and just slashed like they're in a bar fight. Numberous cuts and gashes were etched into both, causing the blood to color the ground red. Clothes were ripped to shreds, exposing both to the cold. But none the above stopped them from fighting.

Sasuke quickly cast his hand signs, and used the Fireball Justu, and it hit point blank, seeing Syl reeling back in pain and in flames, to which Sasuke slashed again, this time in the stomach area, spewing blood all over the ground, and sent the burning body to the ground.

Sasuke turned his back, and walked off, not saying anything or even smiling. He felt cheated of the fight, with the enemy easily defeated by a simple move.

But he forgets that when you turn your back, it gives the enemy ample time to hurt you!

To which Syl blasted Sasuke with a beam that knocked him into a tree.

Doi!

Sasuke felt his one of his ribs break from the intense beam, but he decided to bring him self up and continue fighting. Both fighters ran to each other again, without their swords, and engaged in a brawl, no blocking, just pounding the absolute crap out of each other.

Place your bets!

By this point, a minute later, both were bleeding badly from the mouth, but Syl's earlier cuts were not helping him getting the advantage. But Syl took his opening, and knocked Sasuke back with one huge punch, breaking another rib, but that wasn't slowing him down. His hand started to spark.

"CHIDORI!!!" And with that cry, he ran at Syl, giving the poor hero no time to react, just to shield himself. But that ended badly, as Sasuke dug his fingers into the cuts. Syl's blood was fried, to which Syl cried out in extreme pain.

But Syl had one last trick… but by this time, he had no sleeves.

Syl quickly kicked his foot out, hitting Sasuke in the chest again, but didn't break anything this time. Fighting past the pain, he grabbed Sasuke and threw him into the air. He followed him up with a powerful jump, and during his upward flight, his hands picked up a smooth aura, with a huge trail behind him. As both fighters fell back to terra firma, Syl darted down, with his arms behind him, with the energy getting larger and more powerful. Finally, as he came close to Sasuke, he shouted out the move,

"SPIRIT PHONEIX LANCE!!!" And he clapped his hands, with the energy trails combining into one, and the extra burst of energy made the attack powerful enough to make even Sasuke cry out, just a little, but it could be heard. Syl, finally succumbing to the pain, crashed into Sasuke, and both crashed into the stone ground.

But Sasuke threw Syl into a bench, which promptly woke Syl up, but without first experiencing great pain. Regardless, he got up and looked into Sasuke's eyes, now swirling with the Sharingan.

"It seems that power of yours can't be mine." Said a tired Sasuke.

"Why…" Syl was short of breath, and he brushed some blood off his lip. "Why is your hooded friend doing this to me? I don't deserve this."

"Funny, he didn't give me anything as much as an explanation to you. Just you recently visited a pirate world or something like that, and you could move planets. The aspect of a challenge, however did entice me."

"Pirate world…wait. Just that? What about a place called Hollow Bastion? Or a kingdom or two?" asked Syl.

"Nothing about that. But what do we care? We're here to fight! So come on!" And with that, he lunged at Syl, with the latter getting into a fighting stance.

* * *

The battle in village wasn't going well.

The Stiers were effectively herded and destroyed, but somehow, they kept coming. One appeared once one was destroyed. The explosions had taken out a huge area in the forest, as well as knocked out Kiba and Sora. But a discovery was made,

"We can't kill them, all because they instantly RE-SPAWN!!!" yelled Sonic, upon the discovery.

"We can't keep this up. The caster needs to be taken down before he causes more trouble." Said Kakashi. He quickly charged up a Lighting Blade and sliced off a Stier's leg. The Stier groaned and didn't move.

"Or cripple them. They don't explode, and they can't do anything!" Remarked Link as he followed suit on another Stier. Sakura and Mario grabbed Luffy's arms and stretched them out, to which Sonic rolled into the rubber band, and shot forward into a Stier's legs, breaking them with a huge snapping noise.

You know what? Is it just me, or generally that everyone can instantly work together as a team without any prior experience?

Sorry, I'm having trouble paying attention; back to the story.

Within the next minute, all the Stiers were down for the count. Everybody sat down in exhaustion, and Mario woke up Sora.

"Wake-a up! We won. How're you-a feeling?" He said as soon as Sora's eyes were open.

"Are you sure?" Sora asked, while pointing to something. As Mario looked, he saw the hooded man from before. He had his arms crossed, and was tapping his foot. He sighed as everyone looked at him. He waved his finger as he said,

"No, you shouldn't do that. If they can't move, they will commit suicide, a much larger bomb, it will kill them for good, but imagine if I move them back into the village?..." He snapped his fingers, and all of the Stiers reappeared in the village, and they started to glow…

"You have 10 seconds to run, by the way." The hood disappeared.

"Sonic, please tell me that you can do something." Said Link.

_9…_

"What? No matter how fast I can run, I can't move the them all!" shouted back Sonic.

_6…_

"We should run, right?" asked Luffy.

_4…_

"Too late!" shouted Kiba. The beasts we now glowing brightly…

_1…0._

…

Where's the kaboom? There was supposed to be a earth-shattering kaboom!

Huh? Oh, sorry, I wanted to see something blowup.

No, at the last moment, a beam of light hit each of the creature, killing them without them exploding. It however did leave a huge crater where each of the beast was.

As everybody looked up, another hooded figure was there, but this time, it had angel's wings, and a faint light came off it. The figure descended, and it landed in front of the League, with the wings disappearing as soon as it landed. But Link kept his sword ready.

The figure spoke, with the voice of an young adult woman. "Hold your sword, I'm with you. Notice how I took care of your problem?"

Link replied, not wavering, "You're wearing the same cloak that the one who caused the whole mess."

"Oh, this? They were having a sale at Cloak And Hoods. Look, here's a receipt." She showed a receipt for two black cloaks, one medium-sized, man's, another large, women's.

"O.k. …fine." Link lowered his sword. The rest of the League got back on his feet. "So what exactly do you what?"

The figure sighed. "Listen, there are two people running about the macroverse, doing great harm. We been sent by a powerful force to stop them, but we know, after seeing one of them in action…we stand no chance."

"Yosh, after today, I probably can believe that." Said Luffy.

"Yes, we bought these cloaks to disguise ourselves, but we nearly got killed. Also, for the time being, we can't show you what we really look like. Our employer insisted on that."

"Uh-huh. Let me guess what you're trying to say. You want us to fight these guys for you." Dead-panned Sonic.

"No. It's a warning." The figured sprouted wings again, and was about to lift off…

"Wait! Where's your partner?" asked Link. The figure was silent for a moment.

"Taking Syl to the hospital."

* * *

Snow was falling in the mountains. Not to much, but enough to have a snowball fight or build a snowman. Tourists loved coming here at this time of year to enjoy the scenery, it was also a popular honeymoon get away. The moment was very serene.

But the mood was ruined for the two people fighting.

There were several stone, circular rest stops throughout the mountain, and the fighters were fighting on the one nearest the peak. Blood, from both fighters, stained both the stone ground and the snow, and it continued.

Sasuke was winning. Syl tried to give a fight, but he never stood a chance. But both were tired, just Syl was more tired and ragged.

It ended with a powerful roundhouse kick to the head, sending Syl flying into a bench, breaking his arm and making him spit out blood. He wasn't going to stay awake long. Sasuke, tired and hurt as he was, walked over to gloat.

"You thought you're so strong, huh? This shouldn't be a surprise!" He shouted, as blood dripped down his head. Syl said nothing. Sasuke kicked in him the stomach, angrily.

"Why bother? Why go around and do this? Why pretend to live a dream that can never happen?" He yelled directly into the Syl's face.

"Simple. Because I can, and you can't not. And honestly…I don't care for your opinion." Weakly replied Syl. This made the Sasuke even angrier. His fists clenched even harder.

He raised his foot. "Good-bye, Syl." And he shoved it in Syl's face, knocking him out, and sending his body to lie down, face-up. Sasuke gritted his teeth. He won, but at what? He felt weird, like the hood had done something to him.

But then, a piercing pain was in his back, and he fainted.

Another hood, the partner, a teen boy, put away his dagger, yet the dagger itself had no blood on it, nor was there a wound in Sasuke's back. Instead, a black mist rose out of him, and evaporated, like the same that possessed Luffy's crew.

He paid no attention to Sasuke, just Syl. Not saying anything, he picked him up, and quietly walked off towards the hospital.

Sasuke woke up. He felt weird, like he was possessed by Orochimaru again. He remembered a man in a black cloak, with a voice of a old, sad man. Putting that bit of info inside of his head, he headed off to find his team, wherever they were.

After all, 'Tobi' probably was waiting for him.

And as for Syl, where ever he went, they continue their fight later.

* * *

Sakura was excellent healer. Tops marks from Tsunade herself. She created an antidote for a unknown poison at that time.

Yet she couldn't heal one person.

Syl's treatment wasn't going well, as you could tell by the exposition on top. Though his wounds were bandaged and his broken arm in a cast, his internal wounds proved to be the better to the nin medics. Some organs were crushed, and his blood level was in the danger zone.

"Come on, Sakura! He's got to live! I want to know what happen!" shouted Naruto, while also being attended to, from a gash on his forehead. The rest of the League were also in the room, also recovering from the hour-long fight.

"I'm trying! This isn't easy work!" She replied back, sounding a bit tired. She tired for a little longer, but stopped due to exhaustion. "No good, his system his different from others…I don't know how to heal him!"

Luffy looked on, sad. Yet, he recalled something…

"_But, this is what I really wanted to talk about. My…powers…come from love. To explain, people that are connected to me on a…umm…'spiritual' level give me power unconsciously. Friends, family and…yeah…loved ones can make feel…well…powerful."_

"_VAMPIRE!!!"_

"_YOU ALREADY DID THAT JOKE. SAVE ME, YA BIG DOLT!"_

Luffy snapped out of that trance, and had a plan.

And what luck, Ino was just walking by!

"Hey, blonde-girl-who's-name-I-don't-know, hold up!" Without a word to the others, he ran out and grabbed Ino, and dragged her in.

"What the hell…what, you want me to say something to this deeb?" She looked confused, as well as the awake people in the room.

"No, I need you to kiss him." Simply put Luffy. This put everyone in shock, expect for one person…

"NO." Replied Ino, very calmly.

"Please?" Asked Luffy, putting on his best puppy-dog face. "It would be your good deed for the day!"

"I just helped save the village. Two is too much, and besides, what's a kiss going to do? Wake him up? Turn him into a real prince? Turn me into a frog?"

"It will…make him better?"

"…Really. Tell me, I suppose a rainbow will also appear after I kiss this dork?"

"Luffy, what're you getting at?" asked Sora.

"Syl said that love heals him, and makes him more powerful!"

"Really-a? You sure?" Asked Mario, while holding a cold-pack to his head.

"He sounded serious."

"…Yeah, its sounds true. Ino, kiss the poor guy!" exclaimed Naruto.

"For the last time, NO!"

"Ino, on behalf on everyone in the room, kiss him!" now jumped in Sakura.

"WHEN THE HELL DID THIS STORY TURN INTO A ROMANTIC-COMEDY?"

"YES, I FIND IT STUPID TOO! PLEASE KISS HIM!"

"No, no, and please no. I'm sorry, but I don't want to." Ino slumped down to the wall. "Find someone else."

Naruto sighed. "He likes you. It has to be you. Please, Ino. Just one time."

"I'm sorry. Just the thought of Sasuke beating him up just for the fun of it…I don't know what to believe in anymore."

"Ino…I owe you one…"

Everyone turned around to notice Syl had awakened up, and was weakly moving.

"Just…once…Ino…I need some energy…Please..."

Ino frowned, but got up and walked over.

"Fine…just once…" Eyes closed, but her face showing great pain, she placed a single kiss on Syl's cheek. As soon as it ended, a faint blue light glowed off Syl, and he breathed a sigh, showing he felt better. Ino left the room, disgusted.

"Hah…better. Now…please, I need some rest. And so do you guys…" And with that, he went asleep again.

* * *

**The Next Day:**

Syl woke up, and the first thing he saw was Link laid down, sleeping, over four chairs. He smelled something, and realized it was him, not having a shower in three days. He found it hard to turn his body, so instead he threw a carrot stick that was in his food tray, left by the nurses for when he wakes up, at Link, waking him up.

"…was that needed?" Link asked. He wasn't wearing any green clothes, just his white undergarments.

Fan girls, start drooling.

"Yep, I would like to know what happened while I had my ass handed to me."

"Fine…"

So the next couple of minutes, they talked about yesterday, about each of the battles. Mario and Naruto joined them.

"Hey-a, Syl. Feeling-a better?"

"Yep, just a little, Mario. I do have one question, though. What happened to the two friendly hoods?"

"They left." Answered Link. "They said about 'reporting back' or something like that. They did say they'll be in touch."

"Ah. So Naruto, do you planning on staying and helping, or going with us? I do plan on leaving soon, we really need to stay ahead of the bad hoods."

"Believe it when I say that I'm going with you guys! I might see some old friends again, plus I'll get stronger through all these crazy battles!"

"Hah! That's the spirit I like to see out of all of you! Argh…" Syl grabbed his side.

"Something-a wrong?"

"Nah, just a little pain. Damn, forget that, it's burning! I need real food. I need a pizza and root beer!"

"…Syl. Don't do that." Said Link.

"Sorry. Now then, shoo. You all need a bath, and I need some food." So he dived into a cheap steak. Naruto, before leaving, gave him a letter. It was written in light-pink stationary, and it said on the front, _Read Me._

So Syl read.

_Dear Syl,_

_I'm not going to talk about yesterday, there's no need. Still, do get better. So, that way when you do get back from wherever, I expect you to come to the shop. You're my practice dummy. Come prepared._

_Love (Not Really),_

_Ino._

Syl groaned.

* * *

Two figures watched the fixing of the village.

"How unexpected. I thought we would attack first." Said one, male.

"Don't worry. Once it's rebuilt, then we will attack." Said another, female.

"Right. We'll show them pain…"

* * *

_Fastest chapter yet! Let's see if I can beat the record with the next chapter!_

_Sorry for the shortness and of this chapter. I didn't have a lot of time to finish, so here ya go. Review, flames are welcome, and see you soon._

_**COMING SOON: EPIC 8**_


	9. The Rebellious Spirit Detective

HEROIC LEAGUE EPIC 8: The Rebellious Spirit Detective

**Theme Song: Traveling Far From The Past ****by Sylvin Wallace**

_I know what it is like,_

_To live alone._

_Family gone for good, and friends too._

_But, yet, I'm…_

_READY TO START MY NEW LIFE!_

_The door is open,_

_I'm ready to go!_

_A brand new day is waiting…_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together, we shall…_

…_push forward!_

_Our pasts live inside of us,_

_But they're more like nightmares._

_But yet,_

_We can't forget…_

…_the place we come from._

_Even if we can't go there again!_

_The gateway is ajar,_

_And we're off!_

_Tomorrow is coming,_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together we shall…_

…_fly far!_

_Yesterday…_

_All my troubles came on that day…_

_They're here to stay…_

_..but..._

_I must remember one thing…_

_Never forget…_

…_never forgive._

_The path is ready,_

_And off we go!_

_Next day is just around the corner,_

_But I don't care!_

_Just me and my friends…_

…_go on!

* * *

_

_School…is murder. Not as bad as having Mrs. Atwell last year._

_As well as brothers. I got into a fight with my first brother (I'm the oldest out of three) and got stabbed in the leg with a pencil, and the point broke off and embedded itself into my left thigh. It didn't hurt, only the numbing of it did._

_Still, it wasn't as bad as getting two shot to the gum while trying to replace my fake tooth. But that happened two years ago._

_Then my colon stopped working…_

…_ON SPRING BREAK. THE ENTIRE WEEK. Impaction sucks, but not as much as molasses going up my ass…gee, that's disgusting. I apologize._

_So I have been doing several short stories to get my mind back on track. Prom is coming up and as well as graduation._

…_that was months ago. Damn, I'm so lazy. I'm also 18._

_I'm actually a bit sick, too._

_In the words of Boxer from Animal Farm, "I will work harder."

* * *

_

Syl, despite his powers, still had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days, doctor's orders. The rest of the League, in the meantime, helped with the repairs of the village. However, in the case that an 'evil' hood came around, Syl was guarded by a League member, with switch-outs every eight hours.

Boy, the stuff they had to put up with.

"Umm…Mister Link? Your friend…he's gone." Said a nameless nurse.

"What?" Link looked into the empty room, and the open window. Groaning, he ran outside the hospital, and made his way back to the _Allmacht_. On the way, he ran into Sora, carrying a wood pillar. He pointed towards the forest, as if saying, "Yes, Syl ran towards the ship."

Link found Syl, wearing his jeans, and his bandages for a shirt. He was using a blowtorch for no apparent reason.

"SYL!"

"…" Syl didn't answer. He shut off the blowtorch. Link was waiting for his smart-aleck response.

He didn't get one, as Syl darted off, giving him a good five second head-start over Link.

* * *

"Mister Sonic?" said the same nameless nurse.

"Yeah?" Said Mister Sonic, lowering his magazine. Sonic was not in a good mood. Mario had beaten him in a contest (He managed to repair a house faster than Sonic, with the help of Master Guy, of course.), Sora had bonked him in the head with a wood pillar twice, and he had, of all things, _a fat guy_ telling him that he was slow.

"Your friend has a problem."

"Yes, I know. There are times I regret jumping in his ship."

"Well…he's not eating his vegetables."

Sonic dropped his magazine. A smile grew on his face. He casually walked into Syl's room, whistling a tune he heard on the ship's radio. Syl was sulking, arms crossed, as he looked in a direction opposite of the food tray with broccoli and carrots. Sonic, with a devious tone, asked,

"So, I heard you don't like your veggies."

"Yeah. So?"

"Well, if you don't like being here, you should eat your veggies to get better."

"Give me meat. That's always works for me."

"Ah, I don't think so! Open wide, there comes the train!"

"Gate's closed."

"We'll see!"

"GET OFF OF ME, YA OVERGROWN BLUEBERRY!"

"YOUR INSULTS SUCK!"

"NOT AS MUCH AS YOU!"

And so the room's tidiness went from "Hospital Quality" to "Quadplets On Sugar".

* * *

Sora was about to doze off when…

…well, nothing happen. Syl decided to take a break from driving everyone crazy.

* * *

Mario's and Luffy's turns also went without incident. But Naruto's…

Read on.

"Oh, hey, Sakura." He said to his teammate, as she walked, oddly enough a nurse's outfit. "Wow, nice clothes!"

"Not a word. I was forced to wear this to get in. Once I'm out, I'm burning this. 'For protection', my ass." She replied bitterly. It didn't reveal anything about her, just her legs and a little cleavage, but really the very bare minimal.

"Okay, okay, I won't bring this up later."

"Thanks. Link and Sonic want Syl out the hospital a bit faster, so they can move along their mission or something like that."

"What they mean is that they want Syl to stop annoying them."

"Makes sense." She walked in, but ran out a second later. "He's gone."

"Not again!...Huh?"

"Yo, Naruto!" said Syl, wearing his jeans and his usual shirt, also a black flat cap. He was also eating an apple. He calmly walked up to them.

"Err…where did you go?" asked Naruto. Syl thought for a moment, and answered.

"Well, I remembered this time to close the window while sneaking out, I grabbed my extra set of clothes and my hat from the ship after I did some modifications, got into a fight with a fat man who was bothering Ino, accidentally damaged the shop, while escaping I broke the window of Hokage Tower, stole this apple, went back and paid, and came back here." He calmly said despite the group consisting of the fat man, Ino, Tsunade, and the shopkeeper running up to them.

Syl, after taking the final bite of his apple, threw it behind him, letting the fat man to slip on it, and fall back onto the group, crushing them. Syl, always calmly, walked back into his room, leaving both Naruto and Sakura dumbstruck. Sakura was the first to speak.

"How did that weirdo make those competent people look like complete idiots! I mean…just look at that! How did he do that?"

"Simple. I just do." Replied Syl, as he grabbed the rest of his stuff and walked out of the building, with his chasers groaning and also leaving. Naruto sighed.

"It's going to a long adventure with him around."

"Well, at least I can go home and get rid of this outfit!" Sakura said as she walked towards the exit, not noticing the eaten apple was still on the floor, but in a different place from last time. She slipped, and fell down, face first.

It also allowed Naruto to see up her skirt. "Wow, you do like pink, don't you?" He asked, stupidly as Sakura's eyes burned with anger…

Outside, Syl was enjoying his freedom, again. Clean air, leaves gently falling to the ground, the sky were clear…wait.

"Huh. Didn't know that shooting stars could be out in the daytime." He said.

* * *

Despite Syl being released, the League stayed until the next day, repairing the damage done by Syl. He apologized, and everyone except the fat man accepted it. He was sent to jail for sexual assault. Ino, for once, thanked Syl.

The next day, good-byes were exchanged as the League boarded _Allmacht_ and left for the next world. The ship had gotten a bit bigger, allowing 15 people to bunk (So we can go further without having to do fixing it up, said Syl). Auto-pilot was set to the next world, allowing the crew to explore and settle down.

Syl grunted as he lifted his weights. They were heavier than his usual ones, but after the battle with Sasuke, and with the fact that the evil hoods were even stronger than that, so he needed to push him even further. The one day since they left Tsuchi-Shinobi had given him ample time to train to new limits.

And no, dumb-asses, he's not over 9000.

He dropped the weights in exhaustion. What I meant by ample time is just, in other words, 'went the full 24-hours'. Syl could stay awake that long, but recalling the visit to Hollow Bastion and the Sasuke duel, Syl was going to be out of commission for a longer time than last.

But, as long he was stronger, he didn't care. Besides, he came up with a new move last night…

* * *

Naruto walked into a hall, unsure where he was going. Syl's improvements made the ship a lot bigger, including all-new rooms, like a library, a power station to power the ship even more and charge equipment, a firing range, and a large training room.

Which Naruto passed by, with Sonic looking in.

"Oh, hey. Watcha watching?" asked Naruto. Sonic said a quick hello and looked back in.

"Link is giving Sora some help on sword play. Where's everyone else?"

"Hmm…Syl is in his room, training…I think, or planning pranks."

"My choice is the latter."

"Mario is getting a bite to eat, and Luffy is out exploring the ship. I'm lost. Where is the ramen closet?"

"Down the hall to the left, next to the room with the red door."

"Thanks." He decided to watch the fight inside.

Link easily, with only one hand, blocked Sora's overhead blow. Sora broke off, and attempted to strike forward with a stab, but his Keyblade was flipped out of his hands with a simple parry. It reappeared back in his grasp, and attacked again, only to be blocked some more.

"You fight like a kid." Link said, holding onto a block. Sora broke free, and restarted his attack. Link continued to block, until he parried again, this time he knocked Sora to the floor with a body blow before he had a chance to grab a weapon.

"Well, hey, you've years of practice. I was thrown into this mess!" He grabbed the Keyblade again for yet another feeble attack.

Give him credit, he's not giving up.

Link sighed, and flipped Sora over with a throw. Sora screamed, and landed on his back with an 'oomph'. Link firmly put his boot on Sora's chest.

"I mean, you attack with your weapon like a kid. Just lashing out at everything. You do have some technique, but not enough to beat a sword master."

"Sez you."

"Uh-huh." Link removed his boot, and Sora sprang back up, grabbed his weapon, and the assault began again, still in Link's favor.

"It's been like this for the past ten minutes." Sonic explained. Naruto nodded in agreement. Syl walked by, without his glasses, and having a towel on his head.

"I heard Sora complaining. What am I missing?" He asked, looking up, showing he hadn't shaved in a while, giving him sideburns. He wasn't that hairy, you could see his skin behind the hair.

"Link is owning him." Naruto said with a smile. Syl smiled back a tired one. "Makes sense." He replied watching the constant routine of blocking and parrying. Syl smiled his usual smile, meaning trouble was a foot. He grabbed a mic and spoke these words…

"Link, switch to offense."

Sora yelped.

For good reason, Link's attack was brutal. He seemed to swing from every direction, and his blade was sharp, unlike the club-like Keyblade. Link wasn't that fast, but poor Sora was tired from his furious attack. Link was serious.

But, before he had a chance to attack again, Sora dashed out of the room, and headed down the hall, past the others. Link didn't react so much, he just put his sword away, and walked out. He grabbed the towel on Syl's head, and wiped off his sweat of his forehead.

"That wasn't very nice." He said to Syl before leaving.

Syl shrugged.

* * *

"That wasn't very nice." Kurama said before leaving.

Yusuke shrugged.

Maybe water-ballooning Keiko wasn't a good idea. Then again, filling the balloons with mustard wasn't so smart too. Also, doing it in front of her friends wasn't very good either.

"_Damn you, Kuwabara." _He was the one who suggested doing the deed, just a simple joke. Too bad for Yusuke, his date was most certainly canceled. Kurama was just passing bad, inquiring the where Hiei was. He only saw the act being done, and its aftermath, a high-pitched scream, a loud curse, and a swearing to kill Yusuke.

He sighed, knowing how expensive it was going to be to make things right. He checked his wallet, and noticed how much money he truly had, none. He spent it all on the balloons and mustard, for some reason. Any doubt of forgiveness was long gone.

He kicked a can into a man's face without knowing it. To make matters worse, the can still had some liquid in it, spilling everything on the man's expensive (Yet, stolen) shirt. Yet, the man was no ordinary NPC, no; it was a leader of a gang that practically ran a nearby school. Hirota, he was called. He had long-wild black hair, and a five o'clock beard.

"Ah, Yusuke!" called the oddly-happy gang leader. "Nice to run into you. Now, I've a reason to beat the snot out of ya!" He pounded his fists together. Yusuke sighed, and decided on the funniest way of beating up this punk. It was a way to take out his final exams stress…

"Urameshi Yusuke! I found you!" said Yukimura Keiko, running up to him, and promptly slapped him hard enough to knock him down to the ground.

Hirota blinked. This was different.

"Hallo…Keiko. Please don't say you're going to kill me violently. I've got a dentist appointment tomorrow, and I can't miss it…please don't hurt me with that weapon."

"It's a BROOM!"

"Still, in your hands, a weapon of mass destruction."

"You're horrible! That was one of my favorite dresses! It took a year's savings to get that!"

"So you could do just window shopping?"

Hirota wondered if he wandered on set of a soap opera, with an actor who looked like Yusuke was playing the main character. He put away his knife and wondered he should rob them both and use buy something deadly for the real Yusuke. He shrugged, and pulled out his robbing pistol.

"Hands up! I got a robbing pistol, and I ain't afraid to use it!" He shouted, ending the drama and making Keiko squeal in fear and making her hands shoot up in the air. Yusuke did it out of boredom. "Now hand over all the…"

"Got none." Yusuke said in a monotone voice.

"Then…."

"Sorry, she hasn't got anything either."

"What about…"

"You're using a painted water gun."

"DAMNIT….YUSUKE. I HATE YOU. I'LL CUT YOU, AND SO WILL MY BOYS. BOYS!" With a 'kill-Yusuke' look on his face, his gang of about 30 appeared, looking like your stock gang members. They were also snickering among each other, thinking that Yusuke WON'T kick their asses. Keiko wasn't happy.

"First you ruin my dress, then you drag me into a fight? You're horrible! I hope something hits in the head!"

"Fat chance!" Yusuke said, as a shadow descended….

* * *

"…and so, that's how Shadow couldn't ever forgive me over what happened on March 17." Sonic finished his off-screen story. Luffy, Naruto and Mario were listening in, as the others were doing something else.

"Yosh, that's funny! I should do that to Sanji when I get back!" said Luffy scribbling down the story on his pad. Mario even chuckled at his rival's story. Link walked in, wearing only a white exercise shirt and green pants, with a towel still around his neck. His hair was sticking to his back of his head due to sweat.

"Hey, has anyone seen Sora? I haven't seen him since Syl scared him off." He grabbed a carton of milk and poured him a glass. He quickly downed it, and poured another. And speak of devil, Sora walked in, hands in his pocket, and not smiling. He waved a quick hello, grabbed a pudding cup, and sat down.

"What did I miss?" he asked without being actually interested.

"A funny story. I would tell you, but would take a while…" started Sonic.

"No thanks." He pealed open the cup and had a spoonful. Link sighed and walked over to comfort him. Sora didn't look up. He didn't feel like talking.

"Hey, about earlier, sorry for going crazy on you."

"That's okay. I feel honored to be trained by someone of your skill. It's just after fighting you; I don't feel like I should be here." Link laughed, annoying Sora. "What?"

"Come on. You, angsty? You belong here; you're probably one of the macroverse's strongest warriors." Link replied.

"Only because of the Keyblade. Without it, I'm powerless. And my skills with it aren't as good as others, and I need to be good to survive here." Link laughed again.

"That's why we're a team. To improve each other skills. I could a little magic from you, in exchange for me teaching you better swordplay. Deal?" Link held out his hand. Sora grabbed his hand and shook it.

At the same time, the ship shook. Syl rolled in, literally.

"Auto-pilot is down! We're going to crash into the next world again!" Said Syl as he grabbed a table to stop him from falling into the next room. He used another arm to hold his wrappings on his chest together.

"Again? Geeze, we're lucky!" Shouted Sonic as he quickly grabbed his table. Luffy stretched his arms to save Mario and grab onto the fridge. Sora dug his Keyblade into the floor and grabbed Link's arm.

Naruto just stood there. Ninja, remember?

The ship tilted a full 90 degrees and fell even faster. Syl lost his grip and fell into a wall, thankfully nothing broke. He looked over to the right, remembering something. He DID install more than one Emergency Break! And there was one on the wall. Launching forward with help of a blast of Spirit Energy, he flipped the switch, bringing the ship to an abrupt halt. It just stood, sideways.

"Luffy, go to the main deck and flip a blue switch." Luffy left and Syl put his hands on his sides in pride. "Damn, I'm good!"

"You let go of the wall, Syl."

"Thanks, Link." Syl fell downward, knocking Naruto off his balance, sending them falling into a door that opened up when the two rammed into it, letting the two into falling towards terra firma, only a few hundred feet below.

"Syl! Naruto!" Link shouted, as he slowly slided towards the door, pulling out his Hookshot and grabbing a nearby table cloth. As he fell out, he used the hook to lower as far as he can, and used the table cloth as a chute to slow his descent.

"Sora! Get the ship running and find us!" Link shouted as fell out of view from Sora's eyes. Sora shouted back, "What about Syl and Naruto?"

"They'll be fine!"

* * *

As Syl and Naruto fell to Earth, the first thing they notice was they're falling into a city.

The second thing they notice was they're going to fall into a street.

"This is going to hurt." Said Naruto. "Not for long!" shouted Syl, as he put up a bubble of Spirit energy, allowing them to stand up straight. "With this, we'll just bounce to safety!" Said Syl, once again proud."

"All right! Hey, look, there's a big group of people trying to rob that couple over there!" pointed Naruto to the scene below. "To which I ask, why do they need a platoon to rob two people?" Asked Syl.

"Meh, they're probably pathetic."

"Geeze, hope they're the only pathetic enemies we meet on his journey."

"Of course not." At that moment, Link, with his homemade parachute, fell over to the bubble. "Well, you're doing fine." He said, adjusting to the bubble's speed.

"Bored much?" Asked Syl. However, he saw Link's sword getting a little too closer…"Hey..."

_BANG!_

Syl and Naruto looked at each once, and fell screaming. Syl attempted to create another bubble, but only had enough time to create a smaller one.

"…horrible! I hope something hits in the head!"

"Fat chance!" A shadow descended.

The bubble smashed into Hirota's gang and launched into Yusuke, bowling him over. Keiko just stood there, dumbfounded. Hirota, stood there, stupefied. Nobody moved for a bit.

Naruto and Syl rolled off Yusuke, with Syl checking his bandages for damage. After finding nothing painful, he looked over to Naruto and Yusuke, who were shaking hands, and were also talking.

"Haven't seen you in a while, ya insane ninja!"

"You too, dumb punk!"

Old friends.

"Hey, how do you know each other?" asked Syl.

"Crossover tournaments." Replied both.

"Oh, by the by, how's he?" asked Yusuke, pointing to Syl, who just got up. Naruto at first almost said the truth, but after being knocked out of the ship by said person, decided to ab-lib a little, saying out with a proud voice,

"He's my apprentice!"

"…No." said Yusuke, knowing better. Naruto told the truth.

"Yep, I'm the guy who has come to take on exciting adventures, fight evil demons, and blah, blah…agh, my chest is hurting like a Math class." Said Syl, before grabbing his chest in pain. His hand showed a hint of blood, a small cut at the most.

"You okay?" asked Link, as he descended to the ground, letting go of his parachute. Yusuke and the rest were stunned to see an elf coming out of the sky. Syl and Naruto waved hello and told the rest about him.

"Who else should come out of the sky?" asked Keiko.

"A plumber, a hedgehog, a boy with a huge key, and a rubber pirate." Answered Syl, with a Cheshire Cat smile, knowing full well that would get a funny reaction from Keiko. He held his laughter after getting his reaction.

"Wait…Mario and Sonic are here? Wow, can I meet them?" Asked Yusuke.

"Yusuke, you always played more video games than actually spent time with me!" yelled Keiko, who still a bit peeved.

"Hey, doods and doodettes, there is a guy with a knife over there. You want me to do something?" asked Syl, pointing to Hirota, who recovered from his shock and was yelling at his gang, ordering them to get up.

Yusuke and Naruto nodded to each other, and then rushed the gang. Instead of using anything special, they just threw punches and kicks at the morons who thought they were tough. Five remained after this small onslaught, including Hirota. The other four; they are nameless, grabbed their weapons and decided to attack the two who beat twenty-five men in the matter of one paragraph.

The first one swung a pipe as hard as he could; yet fell short of a few feet of the ninja, allowing Naruto to elbow him in the gut, knocking to the ground. Yusuke took two guys, the only two with knifes. These guys were a bit smarter, they years of knife combat under their belts. It didn't matter though, as Yusuke just kicked their heads at the same time.

The fourth guy decided maybe attacking those two wasn't a great of an idea. He decided to attack the one with bandages and glasses, he looked weak. Grabbing two bats, he ran towards the boy, only for said boy to follow suit and ran at him, and vault over him, with his head being held down by a brown boot after sliding a few feet.

Hirota ran off, utterly and completely useless. The rest of gang grabbed their sleeping comrades and joined him.

* * *

After the fight, the rest of the League met up at a park, introducing themselves to Yusuke, Keiko stormed off to find a cleaners. They split up to explore the city. Sora and Link went to a kendo dojo to practice together; Sora was scared at first, but Link made it clear to go easy on him.

Naruto and Luffy went to eat; of course. They were kicked out by five restaurants before one had a contest that allowed them to eat to their content as long as they beat others. They, of course, won, but were kicked out anyway when they ate the day's stock.

Yusuke took the Syl and the others around town, showing them all the sights. They also ran into Yusuke's friends along the way. Kuwabara had his money taken from as a payback, with the League laughing all the way.

The League decided to stay at Yusuke's apartment. Link was checking Syl's wounds, and replacing the torn bandages. Luffy, Naruto, Yusuke were talking about old times, remembering the tournaments they went neck to neck with.

When dinner was served (Mario and Sonic made spaghetti and chilidogs to see who was better in cooking), Syl told Yusuke of the League, like an ex-con starting a cult; though this was way better than that.

"Hrmm…I don't know…this seems weird…" said Yusuke after a bite of his chilidog.

"We're all weird. Who isn't?" said Syl, after he got a forkful of spaghetti.

"Okay, yeah. But still, this is a bit sudden, I mean don't get me wrong, I would enjoy adventuring with my old friends and probably make some new friends, but I still need to be around here to stop the monster of the week."

"Yeah, but I'm not going to convince you or anything, but we help each other with stuff like that. We stick to together!"

"I got friends too."

* * *

But while this conservation was going on, Hirota and gang were walking back to their hideout, an abandoned barn. Hirota was complaining endlessly about what happened; their record was broken in ten minutes.

"I mean, come on! We had this city in our hands, in our hands! People were talking in the streets about us, the gang that stole every single day, and everything in sight! People were pissing their pants over us! Seriously…"

"Hirota, please shut up. We know." Said a nameless gang member. Hirota threw the door open, cracking something in the process. The rest filled in, with the unconscious members being laid on the beds. Hirota went to his desk, a wooden box, and planted his feet on it, grumbling.

"Yusuke…that punk is the real deal. And he has friends too. I need to do something about them to bring me back into the spotlight…snipers, grenades, actual fighters…"

"Power?"

Hirota turned around, not recognizing the voice. He whipped out his knife, and confronted the person. However, the person wasn't there.

He was behind Hirota. Hirota yelped, jumped back, and held his knife out, shaking.

"I understand that you need some help in a matter involving a User." Said the hooded man. He sat down in the chair, pulling out a wine bottle and two glasses. He motioned for Hirota to pull up a chair. Hirota, not fully trusting the man, did pull up a chair, but kept his knife, and gained bravado; crossing his arms and grimacing.

"What, one of them is a druggie?" he asked after getting his wine glass. The hooded man laughed.

"A User isn't that kind of person, he 'uses' a special power. A power that uses the inner flow of energy within their body to utilize it. They could turn that knife there into a sword." Hirota huffed, but handed him the knife to prove that point. A gloved hand held the knife, and a red energy surged through the knife, creating a sword. It frizzled and cracked; Hirota backed off in surprised, eyes wide in the spectacle. The hooded man loosed the energy, and handed the knife back Hirota.

"As you can see, I'm a User. However, my alignment is evil, therefore my Spirit is red. The glasses boy that was with your rival is aligned good, therefore he is blue. He is currently traveling around various worlds gathering heroes. This bothers me, so I have been trying to stop them. There was a bump involving another man who had the same goals has I."

"And you want me to kill this guy? I have a lot of questions to ask you…"

"I know. What's the catch? What's in it for me? What does have to do with me? To explain, first off, every living being has a 'Spirit Orb' inside them. A User's is ten times bigger than any regular humans, allowing use of the power. Some Users can expand their orbs to increase their power, even in others. Yours is special, it's not a full orb, but five times bigger than average. I can increase ten times, making you five times stronger than my trouble…and yours."

Hirota sipped his wine slowly. He pondered the offer carefully, going over both the good details and the bad details. Being able to become more powerful and destroy Yusuke, but who knows what could happen with this mysterious man?

But a punk is a punk…

* * *

Yusuke said he would discuss things with his friends and give Syl an answer in the morning. The League camped out in Yusuke's apartment, sleeping on the floor and couch. Syl couldn't sleep, not just out of anticipation, but his wounds were still aching.

He thought about how things were going on. Was he doing a good job? Was he delaying things for others? As a off-worlder, he wasn't allowed to truly alter the history of a world, in short, he couldn't start a turning point for the world, like kill someone important, or create off-spring. He was only allowed to help.

He thought about home also. Actually, what home he had. What happened, and why so fast? Syl sighed. He made a pact afterwards to not dwell on the past forever. He was going to live the way he was right now, to spite the past. He smiled, holding back a laugh to prevent the others from waking up.

That didn't matter though, as Kuwabara, Hiei and Kurama stormed in, with Kuwabara shouting, "Come on, wake up! Wake up! Keiko has been kidnapped!"

* * *

_In the last fifteen minutes…_

Keiko was walking home, carrying her newly clean clothes on her arm, having changed into other clothes. She, of course, was still mad about Yusuke, and the general fact about her getting involved in a fight.

In speaking of Yusuke, guess who came with chocolates around the corner?

No, not Justin Bieber or Edward Cullen. That was a good guess, though.

Yusuke smiled like a guilty child, and tried handing the chocolates over, but Keiko ignored and walked past him. Yusuke followed.

"Come on, Keiko! I'm sorry! Besides, it was Kuwabara's fault! Even you figured that out!" he pleaded. Keiko stopped walking and turned around to face him.

"Yes, I figured that out. No, I can't forgive you. Even with my favorite treat." She turned around again and continued walking. Yusuke followed her like a sick puppy, and Keiko held back the urge to slap him.

"GO AWAY." She said with a stern voice.

"Keiko…" Yusuke said, with a sad face. Keiko held her ground, but gave in soon enough.

"Fine. Do this again…" but was quiet after the chocolates were handed to her.

"Come on! I just robbed Kuwabara of the money he owns me, so I treat to anything under 10K yen…"

"My fist fits that bill perfectly." Said a voice in the shadows. Hirota was that voice. Yusuke laughed.

"Hey, I forgot to beat you up! You ran away so fast I couldn't hear you crapping yourself! Sorry Keiko, I have to make sure he won't bother us again." Keiko sighed, and stepped back. However, Hirota took his turn to laugh, and continued to so until Yusuke asked, "Why so silly?"

"This." Hirota held his hand out, pointing like a gun. "My new power…detective." Yusuke was surprised for the first time, but got over it quick when he decided that Hirota was just a punk to be taken down.

He fired a weak burst of rei at Hirota, just enough to knock him out. Hirota swatted it aside with a smile still on his face. Before Yusuke could react, Hirota got him point-blank with his own reigun, moving so fast that the 'swoosh' was delayed. Yusuke wasn't knocked out, but couldn't move his body, but was able to move his head up to see Hirota walking up to Keiko, giggling the whole time.

Yet, he still was sent flying by Keiko's patented slap-attack. This stopped his giggling, and made fire off another shot which knocked her out. He left a note on Yusuke's immobile body, smiled, and vanished in thin air.

A few seconds later, Yusuke regained his senses and looked at the note.

_Dear Yusuke,_

_ You know what to do. Bring your new friends with you to the old barn._

_ ~Hirota 'Killer'

* * *

_

A few minutes later, the League arrived at that barn. Yusuke was looking through his binoculars into the hideout, noticing the gang members were looking more demons. Botan was there also, checking out the levels of demonic energy.

"These levels are unnatural, very unnatural. Off this world natural, more like." She concluded after the meter stopped. "I'm getting the same from glasses-boy there."

" Do you see a hooded person in there? There seems to be a bunch of them following us." Said Syl, with Yusuke checking, after a bit, he nodded yes. Syl cursed under his breath.

Hiei looked upon the scene. "This hooded man you speak of…is this the same man who've destroying worlds?" When Syl said 'yes', Kurama continued. "Talk in the Underworld is mostly tales about his exploits. They fear this world could be his next target."

"Doubtful, he seems to have an agenda. He seems more interested in us then his hobby." Said Link. Kuwabara looked scared, but stayed where he was and asked, "What should we do? Follow the orders, or rush them all at the same time?" Botan shook her head.

"You could take them on, but their powers could kill Keiko at anytime. I say we should try to be a bit more tact."

"Like bring a trap into the trap." Said Kurama. "Walk in, get them talking, and flash-bang them, covering the escape." He pulled out a small rocky orb, a demon flash bomb. He handed to Syl, but he handed it to Link.

"Listen, I'm not up to the level of the fight. I would mostly get in the way." He sat down next to Botan. "I'll stay here and monitor up. Link, you're in charge."

Link put the bomb in his bag. "That's good and all, but aren't the main character of this story?"

Syl replied after shaking his head. "I don't mind playing on the sidelines every now and then. Besides, I'm both a original character and the avatar of the author. Doing too much would make me a Gary Stu. But hey, give me a call if you need me." Botan pulled out a communicators and gave them to Link and Syl. And with that, the League, save for Syl, went forth, talking about a plan.

* * *

Two gang members stood guard at the door. The new powers they received was overwhelming, they were so jittery and often did random acts, for example, a cat walking by was eaten. No rhyme or reason, just a bloody mess was left.

Link led the way, with Yusuke at the side. The guards recognized the people, and let them in, unable to contain hyena laughter. The League didn't draw their weapons. They went further in, with more gangsters creating a straight-path forward. At the end of the path, was a circle, with Hirota and Keiko tied up and gagged in the middle. Hirota was still smiling.

"Welcome, Urameshi. I see you failed about bringing ALL of your new friends." Hirota said before pulling out a knife and holding to Keiko's throat. "Do I have to remove a finger for every minute you make me wait? I may just get so bored that I instead cut her arm off."

Yusuke held his ground. "He couldn't make it. He…was a little tired." Link walked forward and spoke. "I'm his second-in-command. Just tell me what you want?"

"Your friend. Were you listening?" Hirota cut Keiko on her neck, making her bleed a little. Yusuke balled his fists. "I need ALL of your friends. I want to kill them at once, for humiliating me and my gang." Link asked the next question. "What is it to you? Not all of the League was there. And besides, were is your friend with the hood?"

"Right here." Said a voice behind Link. Link didn't move, waiting for the hooded man to walk past him and up to Hirota. "You're right, I helped Yusuke's friend there to get all of you at once, as well as give him what he wants. We all win."

Sora replied, "Except us, you mean." The hooded man shrugged. As Hirota snapped his fingers snapped, all of the gangsters whipped out various guns, all of them locking and loading.

"Get your friend in here. Because you know what happens next…don't you?" said Hirota, pressing the knife into Keiko's cut. Sonic walked up towards Hirota, sipping a soda he somehow produced in the last few second. He stood here, finishing his drink before speaking.

"I do know what happens next. We leave you with bruises, and take the girl with us. But we can avoid the former if you want." As he finished, he threw his drink at Hirota, ice cubes and cherry soda splashing over him. Hirota growled and leapt at Sonic…

…only for him to lose his clothes, be tied up, and lose his hostage.

Hirota screamed "Fire!", but was blinded by the flash bomb being thrown into his face and exploding. A shard of the bomb was stabbed into his right eye, blinding him. Gunfire, screams, and explosions could be heard though out the blinding light. When sight returned, all of the gangsters were injured, but none of them dead. Hirota removed the shard, and screamed to go after them.

* * *

Hiei, who was watching, noticed that the gangsters had finally became full demons, with the added effect of invulnerable to pain. They just removed their bullets and shards without flinching; not slowing down. Hirota may lost sight in one eye, but he grabbed his knife and ran after the escapees. Hiei nodded; he, Kurama, and Kuwabara jumped into the building.

Several; about nine, gangsters turned around to handle the intruders. 3-on-1. Kuwabara drew his Spirit Sword, and used it to the block the gunfire that the gangsters unleashed on him. After a whole clip of ammo was used, the first gangster was felled by a powerful slash across the chest. The second one managed to club Kuwabara in the chest with his gun, but only for Kuwabara to grab him by his scruff of his jacket and throw him into the air, and tennis balled him into a wooden pillar, breaking it. The third guy retreated to reload, but was caught, and was baseballed into another pillar.

With Kuwabara finishing off with, "Strike Three! You're all out!"

Kurama's gangsters did the same thing right off the bat, firing all they had at him. The Rose Whip was formed, and Kurama whipped the guns out of the gangster's hands. A crack of the wrist sent one gangster into the air; a flying kick sent him flying into another. One of the knife nuts from before went at it again, like before, he was beaten easily; not with a kick, but with a single powerful lash.

Hiei didn't need a paragraph to handle his thugs. Before the others touched their weapons, the gangsters were all down.

* * *

Hirota grumbled. His plan was falling apart, some of his man disappeared, and the heroes were escaping with his hostage. The hooded man also left without a word. It's a good thing he thought ahead and made sure of only entrance and exit; covering all of the windows with bar and locks. His two toughest men were still at the door.

There were a bunch of old boxes still lying around; it used to be a warehouse after the farmer sold the barn. They were mostly empty, some having metal bars and equipment you use to build a building. The gang knew the layout very well; they would take victims here and play cat and mouse.

Four men fanned each direction, with orders to kill. They made one mistake, locking and loading guns again, giving their positions away. Link took notice, and came up with a plan to have Mario take Keiko, who fell unconscious, outside while the others distracted the enemy.

Yusuke stepped out, allowing a row of gangsters to see him. He fired a low-power shot to bring attention, and it worked to the point and knocking out a single gangster and getting the whole group to follow him. That meant a total of twenty men.

They surrounded the group, not noticing one of the group was missing, along with the hostage. They tried to unload their bullets into their bodies, but Sonic removed their guns in a heartbeat. Luffy and Naruto took on several at once, with both fists and shuriken raining down on the enemy. These gangsters stumbled a bit, but were fine. These were still morphing into demons, becoming more powerful over time.

The other knife nut charged at both Link and Sora, this time with two giant knifes. His demon state provided such power and speed it was like he was using two swords. Sora and Link had to guard endlessly, any opening was instantly closed. Two other gangsters attempted to jump them, but Link and Sora managed to roll away, with the knife nut slashing his friends. This allowed Link and Sora to switch to offense. The nut wasn't that good enough to deal with two attackers, and was quickly felled.

Yusuke took five brawlers at once, the best melee fighters in the gang. Yusuke decided, as a challenge, to take them on with just his martial skills, no rei. Two of the brawlers came out with strong haymakers, but Yusuke side-stepped, creating a opening to punch their heads into each other. This didn't stop them.

Another one went for the head butt, but Yusuke just directed him into another one, knocking them down. The last one, who was holding back, studying, went after his fallen gun. Yusuke decided to handle him first. He picked one of the still conscious gangsters and hurled him, taking them both out. The remainder of gangsters took him on all at once, but Yusuke just blocked and countered; all down at once.

Sonic spindashed into several at once, with Luffy and Naruto knocking out gangsters on the ground. Some tried to fight back, but Sora and Link stopped them quick. Soon there were none.

* * *

Mario moved as fast and as quietly as possible, Hirota was smart enough to not get involved in the fight; he noticed Keiko was missing. Mario leapt one pile at a time, only when Hirota wasn't looking. He managed to distract him by throwing a fireball to burn a rope holding a huge piece of machinery, sending Hirota in the direction of the noise.

The two guards stood adamant. They were given orders to stay put, at whatever cost. Shame, they had such potential. Taken out by a single fireball. Not even a cry of pain.

Mario gently pick up Keiko and made way towards the door…

….but Hirota was there, eye bleeding, and mad as hell. Kurama, Kuwabara and Hiei all arrived there. Hirota took a look at them.

"Heh. Don't think you'll be leaving without saying 'good-bye'. That's rude." He said, pulling his knife out. Hiei stepped forward and spoke. "Listen, half-breed. This can end without your head rolling." Hirota just laughed him off; a insane laugh.

"You're a kidder. Heads will be rolling. Everyone. You, you, you, you, you, and everyone else in the building. I don't need weaklings. I don't need anyone at all. This world is my under control, and mine alone!" He was waving his knife like crazy, swinging his whole body with it. His demonic energy was rising, to the point of a thick aura showing.

"As the ruler of this world of people of the weak, I decided that you shouldn't exist! IT'S TIME TO MAKE BLEED YOUR LIFE OUT!" Hirota charged, and caught Mario in mid-air trying to jump. After throwing him and Keiko to the ground, he got up and smashed Kuwabara's face into a pillar, destroying it. Hiei and Kurama took action and charged Hirota with weapons flailing. Hirota's illusion was killed, with Hirota appearing behind, but he missed also.

Hirota's rage subsided; he didn't say anything and calmly walked towards his opponents. He stopped about a few feet from them. Hiei and Kurama waited, knowing full well that something was planned. They were right, as Hirota sent them flying with a powerful blast of air; smashing crates along the way. They would have gotten up, but Hirota pulled several other knifes and pinned the heroes to the ground.

He would have also stabbed them, but the League arrived. He stood up silently and spoke.

"So…a surprise that my men failed." Yusuke stepped forward to Keiko, but a hand from Hirota stopped him. Hirota turned around.

His face had morphed into a demon. Brown scaly skin, black eyes, and sharp teeth. It wasn't a special demon, just a regular one; yet a powerful one. Yusuke stepped back in surprised. His demon transformation was complete. His skin was still peeling off as he spoke.

"Well, Yusuke. It's time to end THIS!" He pulled all of his skin off at once, revealing a brown demon with black spiked wings, spikes all over his body, and a long spiked tail. He lacked the horns on his head and long tongue. He grew to a good ten feet. Everyone backed up to prevent from being impaled from the growing spikes. Yusuke ran over and got Keiko to safety.

Hirota roared a shrilling cry. He flailed out, but Mario was faster this time, and bounced off his head. Sonic spindashed into the beast; ramming into the chest and bounced straight-up into the chin, making Hirota stumble a bit, with him falling to the ground thanks to a whip of Luffy's feet.

Hirota got up, unscathed and completely fine. He formed two giant fireballs in both of his hands, and placed them in the air; forming more and more in a blink. He fired them all at once; homing onto the heroes. Though they dodged, the piles caught fire, and the barn started to burn down.

* * *

Syl and Botan were watching though the barred windows. The hill they were watching from gave a angle from the side wall; where they could see both groups fight. Botan was continually monitoring the levels of demonic energy, noticing spikes whenever Hirota got closer. Syl just watched, interested.

The feeling he got from it was familiar. It was the dark aura that came off the Straw Hat crew and Sasuke. The hooded man had a definite hand in this, he didn't know how or why. His brain started to hurt. Too many questions at once.

However, the battle with Hirota was unseen, due to it being at a angle from the window. They could still tell what was going on, the energy meter was rising up. The fire also confirmed this; it gave off its own demonic energy. Botan and Syl backed off from the intense heat.

"These levels are off the charts! There is a enough energy to wipe the city clean off the map! Syl, should you do something?" said Botan, after the meter nearly broke. Syl shook his head.

"Nah. These guys can handle this with no problem." He lay down on the hill and started to hum some tune. Botan put down the meter and also lay down. She asked, " So…besides the wounds, why miss the call of action?"

"I would jump at the chance to fight…but these guys? They eat gods…no, no…they put gods on their breakfast cereal. This guy won't last long."

"But of course! Even these levels of demonic energy are nothing to them!"

"I'll trust their fighting abilities. If they want me, they will call me."

They waited on the hill.

* * *

Hirota's fireballs continued to rain down upon the heroes. Keiko was transferred from hero to hero to prevent her from being burned. It was becoming very hard to not only dodge the fireballs and other attacks, but to help Keiko, avoid the fire, and try to stop Hirota.

Hirota's crackling laugh didn't help either. He continually made it harder to avoid everything; clawing close enough to make the heroes jump a different direction, smashing crates and such. Room was running out.

Link's Hookshot worked overtime. He often had to save the others from harm, along with Mario; jumping onto Hirota to stop him from attacking. Luffy stretched to the bars on the ceiling to take shots at Hirota, until Hirota took a break from bullying the heroes to slice through the bars, causing several piles to shatter. Luffy managed to leap to safety.

Hirota put his hands in the air, and a great pile of wind put all the piles together in one giant pile, with all the heroes. However, a snap of Hirota's fingers made Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei disappeared; sending them outside. Hirota levitated right in front of the heroes, smug.

"Huwahahahahehehehe…" he managed to laugh out, showing that his demon form made him completely insane. Normal speech came out as laughter. The fire roared up and down, as if his rage was controlling the flame, and his insanity was causing was mixing around reality. The remaining heroes stood guard.

Hirota charged straight forward. So did the heroes jump into the monster.

* * *

The hooded man looked on. The heroes did very well with the room they were given, and now were pushing back Hirota. He was losing now. Sonic and Luffy were preventing him from getting too close to the pile. Link and Naruto stayed far distance to attack; often reflecting fireballs. Mario, Sora and Yusuke went to close-range melee, just punching the crap out of him.

He sighed. He thought Hirota was the perfect candidate for the elimination of the League, he had the Spirit necessary for the perfect boost. He had more potential than the others. He could manage power far higher than the others could.

Yet he failed to even get the hero he truly wanted dead here.

He decided to remain around for a little longer; he knew that it would end with lost, but he want to rub it in.

* * *

Hirota fell down, with the fire disappearing as he hit the floor. The heroes, victorious, leapt to the floor; checking their enemy. He was breathing heavily, he wasn't moving. Keiko, placed safety on a beam, woke up. She looked around, noticing the whole place had burn marks everywhere.

"What happened? Where is that bastard?" she asked. Yusuke jumped up and surprised her. "He's done for good this time. He won't be bothering anyone for a long time." He spoke, after avoiding her initial slap (She wanted to hit him for getting her into this mess).

"Really? Man, he's ugly now." She said after looking down on Hirota.

"Wasn't he always?" Yusuke joked, earning a laugh from Keiko. He joined in, and enjoyed a moment together. It grew to the League too, as Link and Sora had a little talk to the side.

"You did good today. Your skills have improved. And yet you didn't teach me any magic. So, until you do, no more training." Sora looked worried, but punched Link in the shoulder.

Together they walked out…

…until the door closed on them.

Hirota got back up, tired, weak, and holding his broken arm. And he was pissed. His demon form retracted a little bit, removing most of the brown skin and spikes, but kept the wings. This allowed him to speak normal again.

"You think…you can…WIN?" By normal, I'm mean normal speech, regardless of how deranged his words are. Yusuke just sighed.

"YOU THINK…YOU WON JUST BY BEATING ME? NO! NO NO NO NO NO! THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN!" Hirota spat out, his eyes looking purely insane. Keiko stepped back, while the heroes drew their weapons again.

However, a huge whirlwind knocked everyone down. The powerful wind started to gather debris and started to move faster. The League had to hold onto whatever they could. Hirota just stood there. He raised both his arms, with fire brewing up.

"WE ALL GO TO HELL! WE ALL GO DOWN ALL THE WAY TO HELL!" The fire became even more intense, and the whole place felt like melting. The place started to shake; boxes falling down, metal work falling apart. It became quite obvious. Hirota was going to suicide-bomb this place.

No one could move. The wind was just too strong. Link knew it was time to see if Syl could help. Using his Hookshot one last time today, he got himself secure to grab the communicator and pressed the button. A light lit up.

And Syl kicked the door down, Black Wood at his side. Hirota looked at him, surprised that someone was standing up in his windstorm. Syl stumbled around a bit, using his powers to keep him up. He grabbed Mario from flying off and handed him to Link. When he reached Hirota, he stopped and stood up straight.

"Hey, hot-shot, I heard you wanted me. Well, I'm here. What do you want?" He asked, shouting over the turbulence.

"TO KILL YOU, WHAT ELSE?" shouted a quite mad Hirota.

Yeah, I used my words to describe Hirota's madness, but he was getting crazier by the second.

Syl didn't say anything, but pointed Black Wood behind him, with his arm going back. The blue aura picked up.

"Well, can you?" Syl asked. Hirota screamed, and dived at Syl…

Everything went black around the two. Hirota stopped out of surprise.

White lightning stroke around the two. Hirota looked on, confused.

Syl charged. He slashed once, bashed Hirota with the back of the hilt, flipped the blade, knocking him up in the air, slashed him upwards again, and leapt up one more time and held his sword downwards, at a angle. As he flew at Hirota (In slow motion, because I say so), the world became white.

"BURAKKU- RAIKOU! (Black Lightning)" as he struck Hirota, a black lightning bolt could be seen striking Hirota, it wasn't Spirit energy, just a powerful sword skill Syl practiced.

It wasn't enough to knock out Hirota, but enough to end his attack, and fully send him back to his human state. He fell to the ground with a heavy 'thud' and bounced a feet away. Syl landed on the ground, and fell to his knees; the leap hurt him more than he thought. At least it was over.

BUT, yet again, he got up and tackled Syl, they rolled around for a bit, with Syl dodging Hirota's punches until he was thrown off. Yusuke dived headfirst into Hirota, sending the two into one final brawl.

The League formed a circle around the two, preventing Hirota from escaping. The two fought around, exchanging punches and kicks. Hirota may have been powered up, but Yusuke was far from losing.

Yusuke noticed something on Hirota's face. A slap-mark from Keiko's attack was still there. He remembered that earlier during the transformation that side of his face was the last to fully transform. That area had been a lighter color.

One uppercut to the area was he needed to finish Hirota, flooring him. He didn't move.

Finally, the heroes left the barn, tired from fighting one loon. Some had to be dragged out for complete weariness. They didn't complain. No, they're heroes. They do this on regular basis. Their weary smiles were ones of victory.

"So, Keiko…about the date?" asked Yusuke, limping from a blow to the knee.

"I'll take a rain-check. I need a rest…" Keiko managed to get out.

After Keiko was dropped off at her apartment, the League plus Yusuke went to the Allmacht, and rested on the chairs.

"So…Yusuke…you decided?" asked Syl after a minute.

"Yeah…I could a good exercise. As well find the guy who created this mess." Yusuke managed to get out.

"Good…good…but, first, a rest." Syl said before conking out.

"Yosh…I'm tired. Let's move out, tomorrow." Said Luffy before also following suit.

"Mamma mia, I'm also so tired…" Followed Mario.

Soon everyone had fallen asleep. Heroic League, members eight.

* * *

Hirota stumbled away. His gang had overheard his little talk about killing them, so they decided to lynch him. His advanced powers, even though currently weaken, did allow him to keep away from the mob. His resistance to pain was going away, so it became harder to move.

He collapsed about three blocks from the mob, hidden far away. He coughed up some blood. He was going to live, but was going to live with tons of pain. His demon form was going to stay, but also was going to be painful.

Insult to injury, the hooded man walked up to him. Hirota grabbed his leg.

"Please…dude, you got to help me. Please?" he asked, before his face was kicked in.

"You'll stay here, as a remote operative." The hooded man said, before leaving.

"Oh…you're welcome."

* * *

As for Kuwabara and co.? They went home.

* * *

_END OF EPIC 8. COMING __SOON:_

_EPIC 9: THE LAZY SHAMAN_

_MY…GOD. I apologize for this chapter. I started a day after finishing Epic 7, but worked only a week before falling into a slump, doing NOTHING for a whole six months. Like I mentioned, I've been sick. I managed to do the remainder ¾ths of the story in the last week. I WILL DO MORE STUFF SOON._

_Also, check out my other stories. Please review this, and others._

_I'LL PROMISE. REALLY._

…_FINALLY, THIS ACURSED CHAPTER IS DONE._


	10. The Lazy Shaman

HEROIC LEAGUE EPIC 9: The Lazy Shaman

**Theme Song: Traveling Far From The Past by Sylvin Wallace**

_I know what it is like,_

_To live alone._

_Family gone for good, and friends too._

_But, yet, I'm…_

_READY TO START MY NEW LIFE!_

_The door is open,_

_I'm ready to go!_

_A brand new day is waiting…_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together, we shall…_

…_push forward!_

_Our pasts live inside of us,_

_But they're more like nightmares._

_But yet,_

_We can't forget…_

…_the place we come from._

_Even if we can't go there again!_

_The gateway is ajar,_

_And we're off!_

_Tomorrow is coming,_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together we shall…_

…_fly far!_

_Yesterday…_

_All my troubles came on that day…_

_They're here to stay…_

_..but..._

_I must remember one thing…_

_Never forget…_

…_never forgive._

_The path is ready,_

_And off we go!_

_Next day is just around the corner,_

_But I don't care!_

_Just me and my friends…_

…_go on!

* * *

_

_I'm a lazy bastard. Typing does bore me pretty fast, so I have to watch a show to keep me attached to the computer, BUT…I do have a short attention span…and internet access on my laptop…_

…_Yeah._

_SVU is the one thing to keep my attention. It's silly and has a bunch of moments where I want to punch the main characters for being too judgmental. The bad guys repeat into several types (Heroic-Thinker, Just Plain Evil, and Stupid Guilty), the twists are stupid or predictable, the main characters switch between idiots to assholes to good guys, and if you're not a character in the intro, you're an guaranteed to be a idiot and/or asshole. Unless you're Mary Kay Parker or Robin Williams._

…_I seem to use a ton of commas. Is that a problem? I have the grammar of a fansub._

_Also, this story takes place sometime before the finals of the Shaman Tournament. The time in-between semi-final and the finals is extended. _

_Also. LONG CHAPTER AHEAD. BREAKS ADVISED._

_Updates: My computer's power jack was broke for week and a half and cost my dad a pretty buck. Also, Mario's accent is dropped.

* * *

_

Yoh's training has always been hellish, but today was special.

To start off; 100 sit-ups and push-ups intervening, tossing and catching a 200 pound weight 100 times, and various exercises that pushed Yoh far beyond limits un-imaginable. Anna kept a close eye on him the entire time to make sure he didn't slack off for a single second. Ryu, Horohoro, Joco, and Lyserg managed to run away before they were also dragged in. And Manta was currently in a private school.

You see, there was a tournament coming up; a private-sponsored shaman tournament. Anna forced Yoh to join for the huge money prize, as well as practice for the finals. Ren also mentioned he would be there; not for the prize; but for the glory.

Yoh finally finished his weight exercise, and dropped everything with a sigh. He went over to the bench and grabbed his bottle and took a big swing. Anna checked off the exercise off her checklist and tapped it, telling Yoh to hurry up with the break and get back to it. The inn was running low on funds; the cable was cut off, depraving Anna of her shows.

Yoh went back to training, grunting the whole way.

* * *

The Allmacht shot off towards to the next destination, the World of Spirits.

Yusuke recently trained with both Mario and Luffy; sparring and fighting a simulator of Bowser, beating it in three minutes flat. He has been in the League for about two days, and still had mixed feelings on this. He joined to find the hooded man to prevent him from doing anything else to his friends. But by leaving them, he left them open to attack by, possibly, the hooded man. A bit of a paradox.

He grabbed a towel and headed to the shower. Along the way he saw Syl walking without a shirt on. His non-impressive chest lacked any bandages. He was smiling like a loon, happy that his bandages were off, and he was back in action. He grabbed a Gala apple and an A&W can that he left and ran off.

"Hey, Yusuke." Said Link, putting away a roll of bandages and cleaning up after the final examination. "How are your wounds? I'm about to pack up…" He asked, wondering about the burns and cuts given by Hirota from the last chapter.

"Nah, I'm fine. You did a pretty good job yesterday anyway." He pulled up on his shirt, showing numerous bandages around several cuts. "I didn't know you were a medic." Link sighed as he closed the first-aid box.

"I learned several things about first-aid over the years. I'm not experienced enough to do serious wounds yet. So until Syl gets around to recruit an actual medic, try not to lose an arm or leg in battle okay?"

"Hey! I'm not clumsy!" retorted back Yusuke. Link laughed on his way out, but panted Yusuke on the shoulder, just joking with him. Yusuke grunted, grabbed his towel, and went to the shower.

And slipped on a bar of soap, landing flat on his back.

"Don't drop the soap! Hoohoohoohoohoohoo…"

Syl was back to normal.

* * *

Naruto took his bowl of ramen and retreated to his room to study a scroll that Tsunade gave to him. Along the way he had a quick chat with Sora about life in general. Sonic came by to tell that the training room was open for the two to train.

Naruto walked with his hot bowl of ramen and passed by Syl's room. He heard Syl muttering something under his breath. It sounded interesting, so Naruto managed to get in and listen in. It sounded like a mantra.

"_I'm a knight of the people…a warrior of the world…savior of the universe…hero of the macroverse…my job is help the people through the bad times…and support them in times of peace. I'm only allowed to help…not to make myself part of another's history."_

He seemed to repeat it over and over again. Naruto stopped to ponder it for a minute. He leaned in even closer. Syl went to a new verse soon.

"_My heart is to belong on the world from which I came. My power is to belong in the hands of my friends. My judgment is to be forced upon my enemies. My…_Naruto, how stupid do you think I am?" Syl turned around with sword pointing at Naruto. Naruto yelped in surprise and jumped back. The burning Spirit aura developed around the sword.

"Hello Syl. That was a nice little thing you were talking about." Naruto managed to get out of the room before a powerful sword came clubbing down on his head. The aura dissipated after the attack, and Syl put his sword back on its stand. He got up and dragged Naruto into a chair and then pulled up another chair, spun it around, and sat down to talk.

"That is the Spirit Oath. It's a silly something that my teacher taught me. I'm supposed to say it every day, but I'm much more of a Reform, so I say it about every week."

"That's kind of lazy."

"I'm a lazy bastard."

"So what does it mean? It sounds like the Spirit Users are like paladins."

"That's exactly what we are. Paladins of the whole macroverse. Our jobs to help everyone through hard times and even in times of peace. But not to be a part of the world's history, we are not allowed to create turning points."

"Like start a war, kill somebody important; destroy a city, something of that sort?"

"Yep! That second verse was the last one. It talks about the Four Needs. The first need is to only find true love on your own world."

"But you flirted with Ino. She kissed you, Mr. Mary Sue.

"TRUE love, remember? I can still get to at least second base. Anymore, I could cause a rift in the space-time continuum and destroy an entire universe!"

"WHAT? No way! That's impossible!"

"Why not?"

"No! Just move on to the next Need!"

"Okay, okay! The next need is find friends who are willing to help you; lend their powers, so to speak. Strong bonds power the User."

"Literally the power of friendship."

"The third need is to fight evil to the most of my ability. It's definitely the most corniest line in the whole thing."

"_My judgment is to be forced upon my enemies_! I agree!"

"Generally I'm supposed to judge enemies by what they do and decide how the battle ends. The guys we have been fighting…"

"Aren't worth the effort. We are getting started. So that leaves us to the last one. You didn't finish that one."

"Well, you should knock. It's not nice."

"Oh, stop stalling and get on with it."

"Ahem…_My life is to prevent others from losing theirs. _That one I shouldn't need to explain."

"You're willing…"

"…to die? For you and everyone else. You see…I have a reason."

Naruto tackled him and held him down. "I would let you commit suicide! You have a good life!"

"DON'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS! GET OFF ME!" With that, Syl threw Naruto off, and bashed him again with the sword. Once again, Naruto was thrown back in the chair. Syl placed Black Wood back, and sat down with a huff.

"I mean I'm fully willful to give my life! I continue to live until the day I need to trade my life for some else to live on! Is that okay with you?" He shouted with his arms crossed. "Now, I'm off to see Link about some sword training." He grabbed his sword and made way outside the room. "I just should keep this in my hand. I keep grabbing it and putting it back for some reason." He muttered on the way out.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted after Syl reached the end of the corridor.

"What?"

"The reason. Why are you willing to sacrifice your life?" Syl smile returns, thinking back. It disappeared soon after.

"I did nothing with my life before my powers came to me. I'm a lazy bastard, remember?"

He left the corridor.

* * *

A wooden sword clashed with a metal one. They continue to collide as the fighters tried to get an opening on each other They moved in unison, almost like the two were mirroring each other. Sparks were flying; along with sweat. The two were the perfect duelers.

Link and Syl reached a standstill together. Swords locked; the duel went from to swords to pushing. Link's strength was far above Syl's, and Syl fell to the ground. This allowed him to leg sweep Link, bringing him down.

"Stalemate?" Link asked

"Stalemate." Syl answered. They shook hands and each grabbed a water bottle.

"It has been awhile. My skills are a bit rusty." Syl spoke after a swing.

"Rusty? You kept up with me the whole time! I have been training for longer then you have!" Link pointed out. Syl just spurted water all over Link, starting a chase which ended with Link tackling Syl in the middle of the training room.

"Give?" Link asked.

"Give." Syl answered. They shook hands and each grabbed a water bottle.

"I've been meaning to ask you this for a while…what do you think of Zelda?" Syl asked Link, getting a funny reaction from Link. Link didn't react for a bit; placed his bottle down, and sat down on the bench.

"I don't trust you enough to tell you anything." He answered, head hug down.

"Really? Last time you were pretty okay with me putting you in charge. I trust you."

"It doesn't matter. That's personal to me, and me only."

"And Zelda."

"She doesn't know."

"It's pretty obvious. There is no denying it. Besides, Impa discussed it with me when we met."

"Impa…Anyway, doesn't matter. I'm not telling you anything." Link grabbed a towel and started to leave.

"Hey! Does that mean not now, but later?" Syl shouted to Link as he was down the hall.

"We'll see." With that, he left.

I seem to a lot of scenes involving characters walking out an area and answering before leaving. Is that a problem?

* * *

Luffy grabbed a drumstick from the oven and sat down with Sonic. Sonic was just enjoying his chilidog at that point. The enjoyment died down when Luffy wolfed down the meat and left a mess.

"Do you mind?" Sonic asked after Luffy threw into a garbage can from behind his back.

"What?" Luffy asked. Sonic sighed and finished his 'dog. "You know…I've been thinking."

"About what? There is a ton of stuff we gone through in the past week."

"Two things. One, how come nobody reacted to us? An insane teen, an elf clad completely in green, a plumber, a blue hedgehog, a teen wielding a huge key, a pirate made out of rubber who doesn't dress like a pirate…"

"What does that mean? This is standard."

"Whatever. A highly visible ninja, and a punk with magic kung-fu."

"I guess that makes me the most normal person here." Said Sora, who had got a burger and sat down to join in.

"You still dress weird." Said Luffy.

"This is standard." Sora smiled like the Cheshire Cat. Sonic stifled a laugh and continued.

"The second thing is this whole adventure. We're traveling far away from home, leaving our friends open to attack."

"Ah, Luigi could handle Bowser on his own-a." Mario piped in. He sat down next to Sora, and handed him a breadstick.

_MEANWHILE:_

Bowser was pacing around his castle's throne room, still recovering from his cop-out RPG battle from Chapter 2. His minions were constantly updating him on the League whereabouts and making arrangements with other villains to make their own League to combat the good guys. Ganondorf couldn't be found, Robotnik and Maleficent eagerly joined up, and the villains from the worlds of Luffy, Naruto and Yusuke had yet to be found. The two other villains were there, discussing various strategies on each hero.

"You see, I design each of my machines to the accordance of the environment of the fighting ground. I also try to limit his speed, and drown him; he can't swim. I usually design my last machine to be the most powerful one yet, or the one to drive him mad." Discussed Robotnik, as Driver and Hopper served tea. "Do you like black?"

"Thank you." Maleficent took both a saucer and a cup and sipped her tea. "Being my power stems from the darkness itself, I often use my power at its fullest or play with the fools that defy the Mistress of All Evil. The Heartless itself do a fine job of handling problems."

"And yet, none of those ideas didn't do JACK!" Bowser yelled at the two, quite angry that things weren't going so well. Only two villains joined up, meaning they were short by five heroes. And that number was going up, slowly, but the numbers would stack up against them.

"Hey, your Majesty, no one villain's plans ever work. We need to work together to win for once!" shouted Robotnik. Bowser roared, but went back to pacing. Maleficent just shrugged and went to sipping his tea. A Goomba walked in.

"Your Awesomeness! We managed to get in contact with two villains! And they're rreeeaaaalllll powerful! They want to meet you!" Bowser laughed, happy that things were looking up.

"All right! Who's the first guy?"

"His name is Hao. He is a shaman armed with a powerful spirit that he calls the 'persona of fire'."

"Sounds promising…where is he?"

"The World of Spirits…the League is en route."

"Perfect! We will head there right away! Smash them before they get bigger! But who is the second person?"

"He comes the pirate world. He is…"

_BANG!_

Luigi crashed through the throne room doors, smashing through all the Goomba guards. He was surprising brave for once, then again, it was his turn in the spotlight.

"Bowser! I've have come to…ah, ah, AAAAHHHHHH!" He screamed as saw the other villains. Good thing too, they attacked him.

"KOOPA INFERNO BALL!"

"BLITZ-MAGNETFELDER CANNON!"

"BLACK SHROUD!"

Luigi was flying off again.

_BACK AT THE LEAGUE:_

"I guess they could handle some threats…but what if the hooded man back-tracks? He has a habit of completely making our friends look weak." Replied Sonic. Sora thought for a bit.

"You know something? Ever since Syl came into our lives, I feel weaker. What about you guys?"He asked. "What I mean is, my powers seems to be scaled down."

"I thought so." Link entered. "It seems that everyone is scaled down in power, but still the same levels. It's a little hard to understand."

"I get it." Answered Sonic. "So I'm stronger than Mario…"

"Hey!"

"…but weaker than Luffy. After Syl came in, I became weaker, but I'm still stronger than Mario."

"Exactly. Possibly everyone in the macroverse is now on the same level of power play. The ratio remains the same." Link drank his milk and sat down. "We will have to work back up to the original levels. It's going to be hard, but we can learn some new things on the way. Like Mario could give us jumping lessons, and Sonic, you could teach your tips on running."

"Yeah! We could become the STRONGEST TEAM IN THE WORLD!" shouted Luffy. He grabbed Naruto and Sora and threw them across the room, allowing Mario and Link to catch. "Let's get started!"

An alarm sounded.

"It would have to wait. We're here!" Link shouted. They went to the deck to get buckled in.

This time nothing bad happened. Save for Sonic getting punched by Mario and throw into a lower chair.

* * *

Yoh stopped training. He felt something in the air, coming closer to the ground, near the woods. Anna felt it also; her eyes opened up all the way, in shock.

"Something is coming…two things, to be precise. Something good, and something evil. The good is coming right here…and the evil one…heading towards the Arctic Sea." She sensed.

_IN THE ARCTIC:_

_SPLASH!_

"ARRGGHHH! COLD COLD COLD COLD! WHY DID WE LAND HERE? IN AN ICEBURG?" Bowser yelled at the top of his lungs, freezing to death. Maleficent sighed, and cast a spell to keep them becoming ice cubes. She was fine anyway due to her magic, and Robotnik's suit is all-retardant.

"We don't want to land near the heroes, so I chose the area the farthest away from them." She spoke as soon as Bowser stopped his hysterics.

"BY HEADING TO THE COLDEST PLACE ON THIS WORLD? WHY NOT A DEREST, OR A VOLCANO?" He complained the whole way out.

_BACK IN JAPAN: _

"Good? Is it anyone we know?" Yoh asked. Anna nodded, and pointed towards the woods. "Go and find out. They have to do." Yoh stopped ponder the last statement.

"For what?"

"Sparring. With weights tied to your ankles and shoulders. Get to it."

Yoh decided to warn the others and take the punishment.

* * *

The Allmacht landed without any glitches…this time. Syl flipped out of the ship, stretching his limbs out in the open air. He was happy to move freely again after being cramped up and injured for so long. He swung on a tree branch and flipped down to the ground, landing feet first and raising his hands in victory.

Everyone just ignored him and walked past on him.

"Man, I haven't seen Yoh in a while. I wonder if he is still alive?" Asked Naruto.

"Knowing Anna…I don't know." Replied Luffy.

"He's a shaman, right? Is he a good one?" Asked Link.

"The best one in the world. Save for his rival, Tao Ren, and his enemy, Hao. They're powerful beyond belief. Especially Hao. He possess a powerful being, the Spirit of Fire." Answered Yusuke.

"Kind of of a basic name." Said Sora.

"Don't judge by the title. I seen its power." Said Yusuke. "It one-shot me in a tournament."

"Well, whatever. We beat him to a pulp if he gets to close." Said Syl, pounding his fists. "Hey, I sense someone. Actually, a lot of someones. Whoa, I remember this. Back at Radiant Garden…"

As if on cue, Heartless flew out the trees, and circled the group. Large Bodies, Air Soldiers, and some Trick Ghosts were in the group. Sora instantly summoned his Keyblade, and got into stance. The rest followed the same, same for Luffy, Naruto, and Yusuke; they haven't seen these guys before. They were shocked at first, but, starting with Luffy, got into stance.

"These are the Heartless you were talking about?" Asked Naruto. Sora nodded.

"How are they here? I thought they were confined to your worlds!" yelled Link, as the Heartless closed in.

"I don't know! I think they caught up with us!" Sora yelled back.

"Guys! No time for chit-chat! Monsters ready for the kill!" Naruto shouted right before the Heartless attacked.

* * *

Yoh wandered through the woods, trying to find the 'good'. He slipped on his black jacket on the way out, but kept his sandals on. The thick woods were filled with spirits of a past era, some victims of Amidamaru's life. In speaking of, he was his guard, he felt something unusual.

"Master Yoh, there is something else in these woods…something evil, like the one Mistress Anna sensed earlier…" He spoke, hand on the handle of his sword.

"Like this guy?" He replied, pointing to a ghost with a wound in his chest.

"You killed me, I just wanted food…" The ghost spoke to Amidamaru.

"Don't complain. You nearly killed me." The samurai spoke, drawing his sword to scare away the spirit. The ghost vanished in thin air.

"Really 'Maru, you shouldn't kill so many people." Yoh whistled a tune off a CD he recently got. He continued to whistle until he stopped, sensing something else besides a ghost. He withdrew Harusame and held it close. Amidamaru did the same and covered Yoh's back. They circled, knowing the ethereal force was real and had a physical body. It wasn't a strong force hidden in the trees, but there were many of them, at least three times more than the two.

The shadowy beings leaped down from the shadows of the tree branches and circled the two. They were fat monsters, ones wearing flying gear and were flying by helicopter propellers, and ghost like monsters. Yoh knew that monsters were only interested in killing them, and fighting them was the only opinion at this time. Amidamaru fused with the sword, and the Oversoul was created.

The ghosts and flyers attacked first, the fat ones stayed behind to prevent the shaman from leaving. Yoh quickly slashed through two flyers, and rolled under a ghost's swipe. He backstabbed the ghost, flipped over, and rushed through both the ghost and another flyer. One of the fat monsters decided to attack, slowly walking up to Yoh, and managed to body slam Yoh into a ghost's awaiting arms. Yoh struggled to break the hold, as the fat monster walked over with a boulder to smash Yoh.

As the boulder came down, Amidamaru became a shield; not only blocking the boulder, but bouncing it back onto the fat man's head and giving Yoh enough weight and size to break free of the ghost's hold. The sword came back and Yoh circled-slashed the enemies around him, killing all. The last fat man decided to vanish in a black cloud.

The Oversoul dissipated, and Yoh put away Harusame. He breathed a heavy sigh. He walked a bit further, and then broke into a run, sensing the same monsters nearby.

* * *

Mario's fireball finished off the last Heartless in a quick burst. The rest of the League stowed their weapons, but stood there, trying to sense anything else that could be a potential threat. They stood together in a circle, protecting every angle possible. No one said anything. They kept their breathing down low.

Yoh waved 'hi' to the group and sat down on a rock, waiting.

The League broke the group and talked with Yoh. The Jump characters talked about old times, the others talked about each other. It was friendly, calm, and peaceful. Yoh was happy to answer the questions they were asked, and listen politely to their stories. When the notion of being a League member came up, he was happy to join up, but he couldn't leave until after the tournament.

"A tournament? What about the Shaman Tournament?" Asked Naruto.

"It's on hold. The finale is coming once the Patch Tribe gets things ready." Yoh explained.

"So…that we be in about a year or so?"

"Give or take, knowing them."

_MEANWHILE:_

Silva perked up, almost falling asleep while selling beads.

_BACK IN JAPAN:_

The League, plus one member…

…the story is not over. Get back here! THIS ISN'T THE HALF-WAY POINT.

…walked back to the inn. Though Yoh told about Anna's plans, they agreed, to the much of Yoh's horror, to go to her for training. The woods had seemed to calm down with evil spirits and Heartless. Yet, Sora didn't seem normal, he seemed to be alert. He only responded with simple responds, like 'yes' and 'yeah'.

His predication came true. A giant Heartless came out of the trees. It had a long thin body, covered in ragged white robes. It carried a lantern on a chain; the flame blue. The name of this Heartless is Haunted Keeper. Sora managed to get a pre-emptive strike in before anyone else. The Haunted Keeper was off guard when the attack happened, and was knocked into a tree.

The poor Heartless didn't stand a chance against the group. Syl, Link, Sora, and Yoh hacked the poor bastard away; Mario, Luffy and Yusuke pummeled the Heartless into a tree until the tree fell down; Sonic and Naruto burned circles around the monster, confusing it to the point of falling down to the ground.

Yoh and Yusuke dealt the finishing blow. They rushed from opposing sides, and knocking it upwards. They followed it up, until the point the monster's inertia reached its peak and didn't move in mid-air. The two crossed over, creating a 'Y' in their attack. The Heartless disappeared in a black explosion, leaving the heart to fly up into the blue sky.

"That was…easy." Naruto commented.

"I thought I sensed a trap. But I also think that wasn't exactly the trap." Sora said, putting his Keyblade away. "More like a first step." Link examined the tree where the Heartless came down from. "The smell of the Heartless is barely here. That monster was just summoned recently."

"…. Maleficent! She's here! I recognize her handwork." Sora shouted. Mario and Sonic at the same time perked up. They looked at each other with concerned looks. Syl caught on.

"How do you know?" He asked.

"Just a feeling. And the fact I smelled Eggman's cologne off that monster." Sonic said.

"And this." Mario showed a burned-up medallion. It was hard to tell, but it was that of Bowser's head. "I found this on the ground."

"Okay, three of our enemies are here, and they gotten pretty careless if they left behind some of their stuff." Syl questioned. "So you suppose they left this stuff on purpose?"

"That's pretty cocky if they did that. Like they're taunting us." Link answered.

_MEANWHILE:_

A metal ship left the Arctic with a group of scientists and tons of fish back to Le Havre to dock and refuel for a second trip. The crew was doing their usual chores around the ship, bur moved like zombies. In fact, when a medium sized probe came out of the sky, they ignored it and continued their duties. The probe went around two shipmates and headed straight to the captain's room. There was the visiting villains, having taken control of the entire ship and were using it to travel to Japan. Robotnik was beating Bowser in cards, and Maleficent was reading a book. The book matched her colors and held no title.

The probe knocked over the card table and opened its top. A hologram showing the heroes victory over the Heartless was shown. The three studied (At least Bowser looked on.) the League's tactics, how they moved, how they reacted, and every other detail about them, so they could prepare for a fight soon. The probe dropped a disk and exploded.

"Why did you put that in there?" Bowser asked after the smoke cleared.

"Obviously to make sure my enemies don't get any of my information!" shouted back Robotnik.

"You could have disabled it! We are on a ship of brainless idiots, they wouldn't notice!"

"Hey, you can never be so cautious!"

"Oh, hush. We have what we need now." Said a clam Maleficent, unaffected by the blast. "Now we attack and win with no problem what so ever. We know what they know."

"Yeah, but did we really have to make sure we are here? They could prepare for us." Said Bowser, who was acting smart for once. He was kind of peeved that he had to give up his medallion.

"That's just it! We won't be doing all the fighting, I build a robot, and Maleficent will have a Heartless designed just for them! They will be ready for three, but not five!" Robotnik laughed out the plan, and left the room to build the same robot, taking the disk with him. Maleficent continued to read her book, and her fiery aura surrounding her head; she was creating the said Heartless. Bowser looked around, and then realized something.

"HEY! What about me? What do I get?" He asked. Maleficent looked over, quite annoyed at the antics of the Koopa king, waved her finger, and the poor king was knocked to the deck. The sailors, of course, didn't pay any attention to the giant spikey turtle and continued their mindless duties. Bowser got up, and shook his head.

_BACK IN JAPAN:_

"We going need Anna's training now." Said Link. "Three villains who're playing with us is never a good battle to fight. Even with Yoh's friends, we could still lose."

"Just how strong?" Asked Yoh. Sonic shrugged.

"Who knows? They could be preparing for us at this moment. When Eggman prepares, he's very dangerous."

"Like water?" Mario asked. Sonic was first scared, then looked at Mario with a death threat in his eyes.

"So…Anna's Training Course from Hell?" asked Yoh.

"Let's go." Said a monotone Mario and Sonic.

* * *

Anna wasn't too interested to hear about the League or old friend's stories, just went straight to training. Like mentioned above, this was the training course from hell. The second stanza in this story was just the icing. I couldn't describe the incredible exercises in just one paragraph, or even in this story. I'll just leave to your imagination.

So…five hours later, the heroes had to be dragged in by Yoh's friends (Who arrived for the food) into the inn. The League spent the next three hours of their waking day either eating or doing nothing. Anna went to her room for some reason, she seemed to be sick, but denied anything. Yusuke managed to hotwire the TV to catch the pirate channel playing a movie. After the movie ended (With the League mocking the entire movie the whole time) they turned in. Yoh's friends gave a 'good luck' and 'hope you survive' (From Ren) and left.

Yoh couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, thought of climbing a mountain, tried pretending to be asleep; nothing. So he got up and walked around. He was a bit annoyed, even the ghosts were sleeping. He considered doing exercises…

…then his body ached, reminding him that was a very bad idea.

He then saw Anna, on a porch, watching the full moon. She didn't say anything when Yoh joined her. They stood in silence for a while.

"The full moon was the reason the tournament was held. For some reason, it's the only time when it comes out three days in a row." Anna said, solemnly.

"We can enjoy it three times a week, huh? Should we take pictures?" Yoh asked.

"You can, I don't care."

"Man, these pictures will last forever!"

"Humph. I hope you're ready. I do have some late-night training ready if you aren't…"

"I'M READY I'M READY. Please, the League probably won't wake up tomorrow!"

"I'll make them." Yoh sighed. Anna did the same also, which made Yoh turn. Was the hot-blooded Anna cooling down? She looked a little sick.

"Hey, Anna, you don't look so hot. You okay?" He asked, pulling her close, draping an arm around her shoulder. She didn't resist.

"I'm fine."

"You seemed to be more fiery a couple of months ago. What happened between while I was in America?"

"Nothing. Don't worry. I need you on your top game tomorrow. If you worry about me, you'll do something stupid."

"Nah, I'll do that on my own."

"Don't."

"Fine."

They remained like that. Just silent and staring at the moon. Yoh and Anna's love worked like that. It was a silent good love.

* * *

The tournament sponsor was a Mr. Oshiro, a man who made money in the show biz. His breakthrough was the _Tachibana Show_, a game show with a former lunatic as the show host. (He was kept in an orange straight jacket the entire time) He climbed his way up, and was known for removing ladder rigs for others along the way. A lesser known fact that he had a harem. Another one is he killed his family for the inheritance.

But of course, those facts are lesser known for reasons. The Yakuza wanted in on Oshiro's pie, but an incident with Oshiro's security actually convinced them to go away. Wakahisa Yuu, the oyabun, was injured in the firefight that happened at the construction site of the latest Oshiro building. A bullet pierced his lower torso, nearing hitting his stomach. He was still recuperating in his mansion in the Kyoto Prefecture.

He somehow managed to get into contact with numerous shamans all over and get a tournament up and running. He arranged it to take place in the Tokyo Dome; turning the baseball field into a concrete arena. Tickets were expensive and exclusive; free to friends though. Over 25,000 other people managed to get in.

Unlike the Shaman Tournament, there weren't any teams. The whole thing was a solo fight with 64 shamans fighting for the grand prize of a billion yen, a small fraction of Oshiro's wealth. The whole event was planned to last for a week, all because the fights were going to be held one at a time. Yoh's match took place at night, allowing Anna to train him a bit more. Not as bad as yesterday, but still Anna's training.

The crowd was packed tight when the League and Anna got in. Thankfully the seats were reserved; seats were being stolen every second. As they sat down, Syl pulled out of his bag several root beer cans and handed them to everyone. After taking a tip each, they talked.

"So, how did everyone else do?" asked Naruto.

"They all made through to the next round. Ren, Lyserg and Ryu did well, Horohoro and Chocó love almost flopped, but still passed." Said Anna.

"So Yoh will fight…Horohoro tomorrow, right?" Asked Sora. Anna nodded.

"Hey, Link, who is Yoh fighting now?" Asked Luffy. Link looked at his tournament grid.

"Somebody named 'Grand Mistress of Amore.' There is no information on her, other than that she is American." Answered Link, showing them the question mark where her picture was supposed to be. Yoh's picture was him smiling and waving, holding his sword on his shoulder. Ren was scowling in his picture.

The siren sounded, sounding the start of the next match. The crowd yelled in excitement. Bloodlust was definitely in everyone's system; they been here all day. Yoh and a figure in a grey hood walked in from the two sides. Yoh waved to his friends and the crowd, but GMA (Grand Mistress of Amore) didn't. The two met in the middle with the referee.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN! IT'S TIME FOR THE 60TH MATCH! ON MY RIGHT…ONE OF OUR HOMETOWN SHAMANS….HE MAY NOT LOOK LIKE IT, BUT HE HAS THE TALENT TO BECOME THE KING! ASAKURA YOH!" The crowd cheered like their home-team just scored a grand slam. He waved and jumped, in the flow of the crowd.

"ON MY LEFT…A MYSTERIOUS SHAMAN FROM THE WEST! LOVE IS HER POWER! SHE IS…THE GRAND MISTRESS OF AMORE!" And with that, the hood came off, showing…

…pfft! BWUAHAHAHAHAHEHEHEHOHOHO….ha…

…sorry. I'll explain what she looks like. She was wearing a 'cute' outfit; a pink skirt, a white sleeveless shirt with hot red ribbons coming off shoulders, white long gloves with the ribbons, hot red boots, and a golden halo and wings on her head. (The halo had no strings; fake, but held up with supernatural forces) She had red hearts with golden rims on her flat chest, gloves, and on front of her boots. She also had a heart on a golden neck-circlet. She held in her hand a quarterstaff with hearts on each end; points down, like a double spear. She had blonde hair, with the face of school girl.

The crowd wolf-whistled. She did a pose, that of bending over, closed her right eye, and held her finger to her left cheek, and opened her mouth in a grin, like that of a shoujo heroine. The whistling grew louder, especially the crowd behind her, the one with the view. Yoh reacted with confusion at why the girl was so weird. The girl seemed hurt that her opponent wasn't reacting the way she wanted. She walked up to him to talk.

"Hello, Asakura. My name is Matilda, the Grand Mistress of Amore, but you can call me Matilda. I've heard stories about you and your friends. You…seem taller than your picture." Her voice was that of a cute pre-teen, but she was trying to impress Yoh. "You know…I recently fired my side-kick for incompetence, so I…think you would make a good replacement!" She bowed while asking.

"That was fast." Was Yoh's first response. Matilda (I'm not referring her by her moniker) was taken back, but tried again.

"Wait wait wait! You'll make a good side-kick. You're everything that Bruno wasn't! Powerful, fast, dynamic, able-bodied, handsome…" She imitated each quality.

"Err…I'm sorry, but I'm already part of something." Yoh held his finger up to interrupt and try to explain. She got frustrated, and stopped him from going further.

"No no no! I'm just saying you would make good boyfriend material!" She was getting a bit tired from explaining to Yoh. "Besides, your trainer isn't that beautiful, yet alone be a good girlfriend!"

Anna was thinking about seriously screwing the match to kill this girl. The League scooted away.

"But…" Yoh tried again…

…but didn't get far. "Come on! You're the guy with the most chance to become the Shaman King! I'm the best gal to become Queen! You have to agree…"

"No…I promised some-else to that." This finally stopped her.

"What?

"I'm engaged to my trainer…sorry." Yoh smiled. Matilda didn't. She didn't say anything. She stood back and got into position for the fight. Yoh did the same, a little worried at the wrath he may face. The referee put down his mike to talk to the fighters.

"Keep it clean. If you kill or maim, you're disqualified. Try to cheat though spells or rituals and also disqualified. Assistance should come from your spiritual ally, not any of your friends. Got it?"

"Got it." Matilda said though her teeth. Yoh noticed, and took caution while getting into battle stance. A whole fifteen seconds went by without any sound. No one, not even in the thirsty crowd, said anything, for their breath was held. The fighters were held down like springs, ready to shoot out.

"…FFIIIGGGGHHHHHTTTTTTTT!" yelled the referee, the instant he ended, the fighters began.

Matilda shot forward, planning to spear Yoh, He parried, and slashed out, but she hopped on the blade, and tried to bat him in the head, but he quickly blocked. He skirted away, and she spun the blade around and lashed out with several attacks, with Yoh either blocking or dodging. He wasn't on the offensive for the reason that he could kill her with that young body of hers.

She threw the staff like a boomerang; though Yoh blocked, it knocked him down; once the staff came back she leapt forth and the staff came down like a hammer. Yoh moved his legs aside to avoid the attack, but it left a crack on the ground. He got up exactly after, and swept the blade to purposely make her jump and grab her, holding her down. She struggled, but Yoh wanted to make her surrender. She pushed him off, and attacked with several swings, with Yoh jumping back. He finally stopped the attack by blocking and holding.

"WILL THE SHAMANS PLEASE USE THEIR SPIRITS TO CONTINUE FIGHTING!" announced the referee. Both Yoh and Matilda stopped. Matilda stopped and brushed herself off and stood still. Yoh fused first.

"AMIDAMARU! INTO THE SWORD!" He shouted, as the samurai fused into his sword, going into Oversoul. The crowd 'ooh' and 'ah'ed the whole time. Matilda also watched in awe. However, she stopped to fuse with her spirit.

She held her staff horizontal, suspended in mid-air without her holding it in her hands. She closed her eyes, and chanted something. Yoh got closer to listen in. He thought it was some sort of chant, but it was a J-Pop song. When she got to the chorus part of the song, the staff glowed with a golden aura. The chorus ended, and the aura flashed, and the staff became a doubled-bladed sword. It flew back to Matilda's hands, and she caught it, and her eyes opened with her pupils glowing a fiery gold.

Her spirit appeared behind her. It was that of a Japanese teen girl, with long flowing hair, and generally looked like a J-Pop star. She was holding a apparently wooden doubled-edged sword. Her looks stunned the audience, even the girls. She was a beautiful young woman, but yet held the crowd lost interest soon, as several gunshots wounds appeared all over her body. Blood seeped out; it looked like she crying blood.

"Sudo Koharu…" Anna said under her breath. Link overheard. "Who was she when she was alive?"

"You may remember this popular singer." Matilda explained. "She got hot with a single, in my language: '_Golden Star Love_'. Everybody wanted her to sing for her. Contracts came to her in the mail every single day."

"She had concerts every single day, every night." Anna was also telling the League about her. "She would often fall asleep during her concerts, and that eventually led to a decline in popularity. She tried to sleep, but her manager forced her to continue."

"So she killed the manager." Matilda continued. "And found it sssoooo fun! She continued killing anyone who said 'no' to her. A boyfriend who had work in morning and no time for her, a grandmother who wouldn't give her money, and so many others."

"She racked up a total of eleven kills." It seems Anna and Matilda were in verse-in-verse. "Nobody could point it to her. She somehow managed to hide evidence every time, so the police scratched their heads for months. Her weapons of choice was a double-bladed wooden sword. She beat her victims, then stabbed them several times in non-lethal areas, then bashed their brains out."

"She got sloppy at the 11th victim." Matilda was excited, enjoying the story as if it was a fairy tale. "She got too excited. She forgot to clean everything, leaving behind fingerprints on a crowbar she grabbed when her sword broke due to blood erosion. It also didn't help she left behind some splinters. BLOOD-stained splinters if may I add."

"She took shelter in a old run-down building, her old apartment five years before." Anna and Matilda was getting to the end of the bloody story. "The police cornered her, and held a barrier around the place; snipers noticed a gun in her hand."

"And finally, she attacked, running at the cops. She waved a gun around with no straight path, she must thought it was a knife. Gunfire, and a one body laid there dead as the place she laid in. Buried and forgotten. And she traveled to America, and I became her medium." Matilda and Anna finished the story.

She flew out, and attempted to bash Yoh in the head. Amidamaru 's shield blocked, but the second blade pushed up and cut Yoh's chest, and continued spinning around in a circle, deeping the cut. The crowd roared. Yoh finally backed off, keeping the pressure on the wound. He looked at Matilda, who had gone cuckoo by this point. She was laughing with a look of pure insanity buried deep in her eyes. She stopped laughing only to lick the blood dripping off the tip of blade.

Oddly enough, Koharu was just floating there. Still bleeding, but smiling and eyes closed never the less.

Yoh decided to forget his defensive strategy. Take her out before she took it to the crowd. He rushed forward with sword ready to bring down, but was blocked by Koharu's outstretched hand. She gently pushed the hand away, as if she didn't want a hand on her shoulder. Matilda decided to attack, but at least Yoh managed to avoid each crazy swing, dodging and jumping up and back each time she swung.

"Hey, how come the 'insane murderous pop star' looks calm?" Asked Syl. "I would think she would be acting a bit like a psychopath than some sort of…painting ?"Link looked at Syl in confusion. "I know, but I can't make a good reference."

"The two switched." Anna explained.

"Pardon?"

"The personalities. She may have been a nice girl once, but the mental psychosis of the ghost may caused some sort of weird effect. The more they fused, the more their bodies left behind something in each other. So the shaman became the killer, and the ghost became the good girl." This may sound stupid, but the proof was shown. The girl dressed like a shoujo heroine was trying to kill Yoh, and the ghost was simply strumming her guitar she pulled out of nowhere.

As she began to sing, Matilda became even more homicidal, just swinging like mad and stabbing with lighting speed. Yet the crowd or the referee interfered with the rampage; they were bobbing their heads to the song of the ghost, signing along and even pulled out lighters. Yoh was confused, but he didn't have time to do anything, just avoid, block and counter the attack. Against her, the counters meant nothing to Matilda, she was hell bent on finishing the job.

Koharu didn't notice that neither Anna nor any or the League wasn't in the beat.

"Hey. The song is actually good! I can't understand any word she saying, but she is good with that guitar!" Said Syl over the crowd. He was tapping his feet to the beat, but wasn't hypnotized. Sonic slapped Syl back to seriousness.

"So it seems in even death her music is still capturing people." Anna said in a monotone voice. I guess she wasn't a fan. "With this, Matilda will kill Yoh, and make it look like he killed himself."

"You aren't concerned?" Asked Sora.

"No. I'm expecting one of you to do something." She said. Syl sighed, and pointed his finger at Yoh, trying to get a bead.

"If I can hit Yoh, I could give him a good old Spirit boost! If only…he could stay…still!" Matilda was moving like lighting, and Yoh was trying to keep up.

Link, using his unseen inventory screen, pulled out his bow and shot several arrows into the arena. The arrows hit areas where both fighters would need to jump in a direction where Link wanted them to be. Finally a arrow fired low at Yoh, forcing him to jump into the air…

…which Syl shot him with a beam of blue energy.

Yoh rolled and finally stopped in the middle, now with a glowing blue aura. Matilda didn't care, she continued her method of attack. For once in the match, Yoh had the upper hand. Nothing Matilda could do had any effect on Yoh. But he didn't do anything to her, just playing with her. He causally blocked and dodged. His attacks was just bashes and knocks. Matilda was getting more and more mad with each unsuccessful attack.

She gave up with physical assault, and leapt far back. She pointed her sword at Yoh, and a golden-pinkish ball at the tip.

"_GOLDEN HEART CANNON!" _she shouted, firing off a huge heart-shaped blast at Yoh. The heart exploded before it got to Yoh, instead of hitting the target, just try to kill him in a huge explosion. Matilda just laughed and smiled her slasher smile. As soon as the black smoke cleared…

…Matilda was sent flying into the wall by a shockwave sent by Yoh's sword.

As she got stuck in the wall, Koharu dissipated, along with the Spirit energy surrounding Yoh. The crowd blinked, not remember anything. All they saw was Yoh waving, and the legs of what it appears to be Matilda sticking out of the wall. A full minute went by before they went back to cheering about Yoh's win. The referee shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to understand what went down. He held up Yoh's arm, shouting "AND THE WINNER IS….YOH!"

Cries of "YO-OH! YO-OH!" entered the air. Confetti fell from the rafters, as they did all day with every winner. Yoh jumped and waved at the crowd. Even Anna held her hands up in celebration. One step closer to a huge money prize would make any one ecstatic!

It took a hour to pry Matilda from the wall. Just telling you.

* * *

Yet there wasn't any time to celebrate. Yoh's next match was two days from now, and he needed serious training if the fiasco with Matilda didn't want to be repeated. A whole day of training to dawn to dusk took place the next day, with Amidamaru scaring Yoh out of bed, out the window, and into a miniature obstacle course with the League attacking with wooden boards.

And that's just the morning training. Like I said, I leave it up to you.

So…after dragging Yoh into the house, Syl decided to walk around town and see the sights. After putting on his green shirt on top of his exercise shirt with jeans and his black flat cap, he walked out. He spent a hour around the town, seeing the sights, getting into fights, blowing up bikes…

The last one didn't happen. I just wanted to rhyme.

Then he walked into a bar. It held no title, and it looked like a old bathhouse than a bar from the outside. It definitely had a shady air to it. It was a simple wooden bar, with plastic chairs and tables made from oak. There were guys in a corner playing cards, and they wore black suits and even blacker fedoras.

Syl decided not to make a splash, but rather just walk in and order a drink. He ordered the only non-alcoholic beverage on the premise, water. When he sat down, a bald old man wearing a expensive red suit also joined him at the table.

"Kid, you look old enough to order a real drink." He said, after placing his cane to the side of the chair.

"Sorry. But I can't stand the stuff." Syl replied back.

"Boy scout, huh?"

"Good guess, but no. My dad was wine tester for too long and my mom was raised by faux Louisiana's. They met after my dad had a long day of work."

"Making excuses, are we?"

"Let's just say that school drilled it into my brain." Syl finished his water and placed the cup down. The old man picked the glass and filled it with something from a flask made of gold. Syl took notice that the liquid was of a dark purple color. The old man handed the glass back. Syl looked at him with questions.

"Just juice. Good old grape juice. I need for my body." He patted himself, and took a swing from the flask. "Don't worry, it's clean."

Syl decided to carefully drink the juice, expecting something else, like poison or actual wine. But it was just grape juice. After finishing that, he place the cup down again, this time away from the old man's grasp.

"Do I know you?" Asked Syl. The old man chuckled, and tapped his cane. Two burly guys came over and also sat down. They didn't say anything, just stared at Syl.

"You could. Wakahisa Yuu, oyabun of the, as you Americans would say, _The Field of Fire_ yakuza. We are the kind of yakuza that looks out for the people of Japan. If someone abuses their power, we handle it. We do have our 'minor' chores, but our main business is to make our country even more beautiful." He seemed to enjoy his job, waving his arms as if he directing a symphony. Syl watched in both fear and respect. The fear came from the fact that he was a yakuza head. The respect came from that is yakuza is his kind of guy.

"I guess you want to recruit me?" Syl asked.

"Close, but not really. I saw you, during the battle last night. The…Heroic League. Right?" Wakahisa spoke like he knew this first-hand. Syl was taken back, but didn't show it to keep a cool-hand. The yakuza leader chuckled at the new heroes' attempt to hide his surprise. He continued.

"I noticed your powers, and your elfish…no Hylian friend's abilities. I need for you and your friends to do a job for me." Syl regained his bravado and slupped back.

"Why? Give me reason." The bodyguards stood up straighter.

"I have my connections, as you figured out now. You may not what to meet them. Besides, you can also profit from it. By profit, I mean saving your shaman friend's life." This got Syl's attention.

"Let me listen to what the job details."

"The tournament sponsor, a Mr. Oshiro, recently got into a firefight with a couple of friends of mine about three days ago. We actually were being nice, asking to help arrange bets for the game. He seems to be hiding a rather nasty secret. All that money he put into the tournament…I don't like that. He also has a secret building somewhere…I found the records of said building, but not the location."

"…And you don't like it."

"It's very mysterious. Oshiro has too many secrets. The tournament is very enjoyable…but it seems that the prize has a condition."

"And you want us to investigate?"

"Yes. I'll pay you and your club a hefty sum. The tournament will continue, but without Oshiro. He needs to leave the picture. Either killed or expelled. I don't care. Just go in, find whatever he's up to, and judge him the way you see fit."

"You do know we'll probably send him to jail, right?"

"I don't care what you do with him, just make him disappear."

"…I'll consider." Syl got up to leave, but Wakahisa blocked him with his cane.

"Please do." And with that Syl left, pondering the proposition. Yes, it was a crime, but, what if Oshiro was dirty? What if Yoh was in trouble? What if other shamans were trouble? He walked with questions in his mind. He managed to avoid all obstacles, and managed to get his room without any trouble. Link saw the problems surrounding Syl and questioned him. Syl explained the situation.

"Hmm. I know this may sound weird, but he may have a point. I checked Oshiro, he has no past record, nor any record of present." Link said, sipping on his tea.

"How did you know all of this?"

"I managed to get information from the record office. I also noticed the record for a unmarked building, like your guy says. I think he's hiding something." As Link finished, the rest of the League walked in and were filled in.

"Maybe the secret is a lab. You know, mad science experiments?" Luffy put in.

"That could be it. It could also be a hidden document building. Where they would put the 'classified' files." Sonic threw in.

"It could be anything. If we're going to do this, we're to start at the top. Go to Oshiro's office and try to find the location of the secret building. It's risky, but we could save the lives of everyone at the tournament." Link pulled out a photo showing of Oshiro's main office, a 20-story black-windowed office building.

"Where did you…" Syl asked.

"I saw you with you with the boss." Link said solemnly. "Why were you in the bar?"

"Had a feeling of something."

"I also found something else." Luffy threw a photo of Matilda being taken away from the arena by two giant man in black suits. "I saw the photos being sold by a broke photographer in a alley. I bought it for a price of a meal…MY MEAL!"

"I figured. I couldn't find anything about the losers." Link said, pulling out files of the losers. Syl looked at the two.

"We heard everything, Syl. We saw you walking into a shady bar and watched."

"You stalked me."

"I think I should be cautious around people who walk into a yakuza bar on a whim."

Syl sighed. He wasn't getting anywhere with this. The first battles were flukes, the matter of trust wasn't that important. Things were getting serious now. Trust had to be earned. The League now had to really put themselves together to work as a team.

"So…" asked Sora. "What's the plan?" Syl and Link thought about it. The room was silent for a single minute. Nobody moved.

"Let's do it. We need the practice." Said Syl.

"Practice?" Asked Link.

"If the League is going to be the real deal, we may have to do things we may not like."

"We understand." Said all.

"You're ready, guys? For the first real mission of the League?" Asked Syl.

The answer…was unanimous.

"AYE!"

* * *

The next day, the League split up. Yoh went to his match with Yusuke, Sonic, Sora and Anna, while the rest sneaked over to Oshiro's main office building. It was an ugly black building, nothing special; just the shape of a milk carton. Due to the late-night fight, most of the lights were off, but there definitely were people inside. Link looked in with the binoculars he bought at the general store.

"Guards. Armed with small machine guns. About seven on each floor. 10 floors of guards." Link reported every details he could see though the dim lightening. Syl waited patiently behind him. He set his flat-cap straight forward and focused on what he could see. Mario tied his boots tighter, Luffy stretched out, and Naruto looked over a scroll. Everyone was ready for the break-in.

I should clear one thing up. In the first few chapters, Syl was wearing a black T-shirt, a blue-black-white jacket with collars turned up, and blue jeans. Looking at that, I realized that wasn't the best outfit for him. So I switched it to the new one for good. A green shirt opened up with the collars turned down: kinda like a dress shirt, has two chest pockets, the one on the right side is open and the other closed. The other shirt was a black exercise one with white stripe-oval under the armpits. Same jeans, same shoes, just add a black flatcap.

Syl pulled out his silver pocket watch (Roll with it) and checked the time. Military time: 20:30. Yoh's match versus Ryu was starting. Joco managed to hold out against Horohoro for about five minutes before catching a cold. Ren and Lyserg were to fight the next match. Yoh and Ryu agreed to stall the fight as long as they can to give the team some time to investigate.

Link motioned to the right. Two guards had come out of a side door for a smoke. A opening.

The guards were talking about betting the next Giant's game. One guy was betting his next week's salary that the Toyo Carp would win, the other laughed him off, betting his month's salary on that. The two got into a heated argument before they heard something. A whistling noise. But there was no wind today. The two quietly locked and loaded their guns and carefully moved towards the bush where the noise was coming from. They trained for this.

But never actually had any experience.

* * *

The crowd, like any night, was going nuts. Two swordsmen duking it out, aided by the ghost of a samurai and a bandit famous eras ago. The sound of swords clashing and collided filled the air with powerful, loud attacks. There were indents in the floor from the attacks, as well in the walls.

"Come on, kid! You can beat me! You did before! So, what are you waiting for?" Ryu shouted over the clashing swords. He winked at Yoh, giving him a sign that they should keep up the pace to prevent the audience from getting bored. Yoh winked back.

"Yeah! Come on!" Yoh lashed out even harder and faster and Ryu followed up. The shining swords shined even brighter and every time the sword collided, a wave of light passed on past the swords. They were harmless and did nothing more create a lightshow for the audience to enjoy. Yoh and Ryu's movement was so fast, they were blurs; when they attacked, the blurs became solid and they didn't move, they attacked while a blur.

But they were getting tired…

* * *

The two guards didn't know what hit them. Their radios were taken along with their keys to the special elevator. Syl and Link took one elevator to cover the top five floors while Mario, Luffy and Naruto handled the bottom. 34 guards for each fraction. We start at the bottom and work our way to the top. So we cut to Mario's fraction.

"So…what should I be looking for?" Luffy asked as he looked though a file cabinet. Naruto lock-picked a office door and Mario jumped on the two guard's heads to knock them out.

**GUARDS DOWNED: 2/34**

"Secret transfers, building plans, anything that details a place that looks mysterious." One of Naruto's clones answered as the group investigated.

"We're going to be here all night."

"Not if we work fast!"

The radio buzzed. Thankfully, it was the radio taken from the guard outside, set to a different channel.

"…Mario. Come in. Read?" Link called. Mario pulled out his radio from his overalls and replied.

"Over. Problem?"

"Just checking. Oshiro is at the game, for once. Syl finds that weird."

"Of course he does." A sound of the radio being snatched was heard.

"…hey!...I find it weird because he just appeared at Yoh's match. Just saying." Syl replied.

"Humph." A shuffle was heard; Link grabbed the radio back.

"Okay, okay. Maintain radio silence unless you find something, or something find you."

"Roger. Out." The radio clicked off.

So the bottom floor group continued on. Mario stomped, Luffy stretched, and Naruto…ninjaed.

Roll with it.

So the two floors were cleared. Nothing interesting was found, besides two fake lawsuits, fifteen payments to the police, bury sites, fake contracts, anything but anything about secret buildings. The three all donned guard suits to use the elevator without being caught by the cameras. Thankfully, the guards didn't patrol anywhere near the elevator to notice the discarded suits. One came close, but was taken down before any trouble.

**GUARDS DOWNED: 14/34**

The three floor thankfully had a lounge to which the guards decided to play pool and cards than to look around for anyone breaking into secure files. Mario and crew where happy to move a bit freely around and only avoid the cameras.

"Bills…bills…ARGH! Nothing! 3 floors of nothing!" Naruto shouted as loud as he could while throwing the useless papers to the floor. His clones, Luffy, and Mario all stopped and looked at him. Naruto calmed down and collected the papers and put them back. He sighed.

"Is this worth it? Searching for something that might be a ghost." He leaned on the file cabinet. "Ah…I'm tired." The clones disappeared. Mario and Luffy stopped working to talk to him.

"You okay?" Asked Mario.

"I feel like I made a stupid mistake. Why did I leave? My friends could be in trouble right now; my enemies probably making their moves right now." Naruto's voice had a tremor in it, he was definitely scared. "I mean, you guys are okay, I know you. But Syl? Who is he? Sure, he's powerful, nice, funny, and completely insane, but I still don't trust him all the way."

"Trust? What do you mean?" Asked Mario.

"Oh no, he's not evil in that sense. He's hiding something."

"His past?" Put in Luffy.

"That and something else. I don't know what it is, but there is something. I just know it." Mario sighed. He took his hat to wipe off some sweat from his brow.

"I understand. But for now, we need to find something that can help us. Based on the stuff we already found, out little sponsor has a secret that could be deadly to Yoh. We need to find the location of the building to investigate and see what we can do."

Naruto perked up. "Yeah. I understand. But after this, I'm going home. Luffy, don't you want to continue your journey to the One Piece?"

Luffy's look got serious. "Yeah…but I had a weird feeling."

"What?"

"I had a feeling that I should continue with the League, and hold off for a while. It's weird! I don't get it!" Luffy pounded his head in frustration. Naruto looked puzzled. He turned to Mario, as to ask the same question.

"Yes. The same thing came into my mind back in Hollow Bastion. Link had his Mobius. Sonic in World of the Pirates, and Sora at Tsuchi-Shinobi. We discussed it behind Syl."

"Or author decided to throw something at the last minute." Naruto put in. "Anyway, you saying that I might put aside my own world if I go to the next world? No thanks! After this, I'm going home! No questions! So let's go to the next floor and get this over with!" Naruto sprung up and ran out the door towards the elevator.

"We should stop him before he breaks up the party." Said Mario. He and Luffy moved out.

**GUARDS DOWNED: 24/34

* * *

**

Ryu and Yoh continued with their sword/lightshow. Finally, one powerful clash ended it, as both were tired from the half hour fight. They held their swords for a full minute, just staring and catching their breath. They broke free and skidded to different sides of the arena. Clouds of dust lifted up, and covered the arena. A whole minute covered the whole arena, allowing the two fighters time to catch their breath.

"Hey, Yoh." Ryu said through the cloud.

"Yeah?" Yoh's Oversoul was dimming down. It had lowered itself to the first level of the Oversoul.

"I'm getting too tired to keep up. We need to fight for real. Sorry." Ryu's heavy breathing could be heard.

"What? We need to stall as long as possible. Shaman's lives could be at danger. Joco could be dead now. They need more time."

"Sorry. If I continue to stall, I'm might drop dead. I ain't losing like that. Now, let's give these people a real fight!"

Yoh knew they should try harder to give his friends time. But he was right. All be naught if they continue fighting like that and end up fainting. After a long intake of much-needed air, his Oversoul flared, and shouted, "READY!"

The smoke cleared. Now the two fought for real.

* * *

Thankfully, Syl could screw with the cameras to prevent from being spotted. His powers made each one short-circuited without shutting off the feed. Link made sure the guards didn't bother them. The fifth floor produced nothing but guards. Due to their was only two people, without clones, it took some time to make their way up to the next floor.

**GUARDS DOWNED: 7/34**

All of the sudden, the sound of helicopter could be heard. Syl and Link put away the files to look out the huge office window. The sound was true, a helicopter flew off in the direction of the arena. The company symbol was marked on the side.

"So, after nearly two days of the tournament, the sponsor gets off his fat ass to watch." Syl questioned. "Right as Yoh's match starts. I smell trouble." Link looked at him weird. "What? It is! Come on, look at it!" Link shook his head. He decided to check in with the bottom group. He picked up his radio, and spoke into it.

"Mario. Mario. Come in. Read?" It could be heard over the radio a shuffling sound, indicating the pick-up of the radio.

"Over. Problem?" The radio was well-made, there was no static, and the sound quality was like you're next to the person on the other side.

"Just checking. Oshiro is at the game, for once. Syl finds that weird." Syl looked over, looking both confused a bit annoyed.

"Of course he does." Syl moved over to grab the radio. Link wasn't ready for that, and lost the radio.

What…hey!...I find it weird because he just appeared at Yoh's match. Just saying." Syl wasn't that angry, but his outburst prevented him from keeping the radio. A inaudible sound over the radio could be heard. Link sighed and spoke into the radio.

"Okay, okay. Maintain radio silence unless you find something, or something find you."

"Roger. Out." The radio clicked off.

So nothing special happened up the next few floors. Link took care the guards, Syl handled the cameras. Like Mario's group, nothing special turned up, just your basic corrupted corporation papers. There wasn't much talking between the two, Syl couldn't stop the camera from picking up sounds; that would been too obvious to the guards.

Finally the 10th floor.

Oh, nearly forgot.

**GUARDS DOWNED: 30/34**

Only four guards left, guarding the main office. These guys were packed heavy with the best weaponry available. All new DM-378 light machine guns, flash and tear bombs, all-purpose goggles, and special body-armor that completely protects from all small-handgun fire. These two were in the Japan Self-Defense Forces a few years back and had some action in Iraq. These two were paid the most for guarding the most important thing in the building, the main computer AKA Mr. Oshiro's computer.

Take a guess how long they lasted with Link and Syl. Go ahead.

…

Answer: A full ten seconds. Ten times longer than the other guards.

"Hey. Nice gun!" Syl put Black Wood into his pant's belt loop and picked up the DM-378. He looked all over it, checking out every detail of the gun. Meanwhile, Link moved the two KO guards into a nearby closet. I just noticed there seems to be a lot file cabinets in this building. Is that like a real office? Sorry, I drifted off. Moving back.

Syl took out the magazine and emptied the entire clip of its ammo, and placed the empty magazine into the gun.

**SYL OBTAINED DM-378. SYL LEARNED SPIRIT MACHINE GUN!**

"Haven't seen that in a while." Syl remarked. "Didn't even miss it."

"Wait. You can use your powers in guns?" Link asked, after grabbing a flash bomb from the guards.

"Sure! Spirit bullets are great, but cost-effective. Like my sword, they're non-lethal!"

"Unless you get angry, which could happen on a whim."

Syl looked hurt. Link placed the flash bang into his unseen inventory and asked another question, upon almost slipping on the fallen bullets. "Hey, don't you need ammo to fire?"

Syl locked and loaded. "If I used real bullets, everyone standing in the front of this would be dead." Syl opened the main office door by bypassing the keycard reader. The doors swung open, revealing a simple corporate office, long room, with a desk and chair at the end of the room with a window behind them, several portraits of Mr. Oshiro, a man who wasn't that ugly and wasn't that handsome, famed newspaper clipping showing off the company's power and even a full bookshelf and a fireplace, unlit at this time.

"Your powers are both careful and deadly. How do YOU handle them so well?" Link asked, closing the doors to prevent any other guards from entering.

"Oh hey. I can see the inn from here!" Syl pointed out the window to said place.

"Syl…"

"Fine…because I can."

"That's not a answer." Link walked up to Syl. "The more time I spend with you, the more I worry. What if your powers, or you, go out of the hand? You proven to be powerful in your own right. You only lost one battle, and it's debatable if your opponent was thinking straight. So, if your powers can be used to either subdue or kill depending on who uses it, how can I trust you that you don't lose control? Now, answer. Please."

Syl stepped back, shocked. One of his childhood heroes came up and said the one thing that was on everyone's mind. He expected it, but not this early, and not by Link of all people. He expected Sonic or Naruto. He sighed, and held his head low. He didn't say anything, just moved to the chair and began trying to find the information they came to find. Link, a bit annoyed, walked up and blocked the chair and Syl from moving.

"Here's your answer. You can't. Nobody can." Syl admitted. "This entire League is entirely voluntary. You can go home anytime you want. Right now even." He continued to search. "I'm not going to hold you back. Remember, I'm new. I'm an original character. You're a hero who has been working for years, saving Hyrule or any other kingdom. I can't hold you back." Link sighed.

"Syl, it's not because you are like that. Your powers are strong and unique. You just seem not that kind of person to use them. And no, I'm not leaving. I kinda enjoy this." A smile grew onto Link's face. "I'll trust you if you trust yourself. You seem to have a bit of a problem with your self-esteem, don't you."

"…yeah. But I'm not telling it to just you. I'm telling it to everyone at once. Just how much do I have to say that?"

"Every time you recruit someone."

"Good point. Now, enough! Let's get cracking!"

* * *

The crowd was giving up on the two. Both were too tired to do anything special like before, and now they were fighting like any normal fight, which the crowd never wanted from the round one winners. The previous matches were hot, furious, and dynamic in their own right. This was boring the audience to jeers and boos.

But neither cared. They wanted to give the League the time they needed. The long battle tired them out, an entire hour has passed since the first strike landed. The ground didn't have blood, just sweat and burn-marks.

Finally, the two locked. Nobody could move. Swords quivered. Teeth gritted. Legs shaked. Ryu and Yoh stared into each other's eyes, fury and tiredness piercing. Even though this match was meant to stall as long as possible, neither would throw the match. There would be one man standing at the end.

The lock broke, and the two skidded back again. Heavy breathing filled the arena; somehow the crowd went quiet. The Oversouls of both flared to considerate flames. The two were pulling together their remaining energy to pull of one last attack. Blue and green lit up the different sides of the arena.

Anna grunted in mild pain. She grabbed her stomach. Yusuke noticed. "You okay?" He asked. Anna regained her composition and didn't answer. Yusuke decided not to question any further, but kept a hidden eye on her. She focused on Yoh.

Finally, the lights died down as the final attacks from each came out.

"_**Amida-ryū: Gokōjin!" **_

"_**hELL DRAGON, CRISMON LIZARD!"**_

Mr. Oshiro's eyes gleamed.

* * *

"Nothing."

Link put the book back he was reading. Syl's head was down in his hands.

"There is nothing. At all. We got nothing." Syl's voice was on the verge of a outburst.

"We still have the team downstairs. I'll see if they have anything." Link turned his back to talk. He explained the situation. "I see. Come up to the top floor. The door is open." Syl growled, knowing the truth.

"We got nothing. What a waste of time." Syl's head was still down when the others got here. "Well, what now?"

"We could try following the 'losers' to the secret building." Naruto suggested.

"Yes, that would work. But we would be going in blind." Link threw back. "I doubt our sponsor hides something like that and not have anything special placed in that building."

"I doubt following Oshiro. The files here prove that he is not stupid." Mario put in.

"So, we're boned." Syl continued to moan and groan.

"Not really." Link pointed to the bookshelf. Syl looked up, confused. "I been looking around that thing. It looked out of place. And yes, there is a secret passage."

Syl got up and looked at the book shelf. "I'll bite. How do you open it?"

Link walked back to the shelf. "I tried every book, but it didn't open. So I figured I needed to remove only certain books. It uses a weight system. Every book weighs differently, so if I removed the right books, the weights balance and the shelf moves. But the question is, which books and how many?"

Luffy looked at the shelf. He spoke after he realized something. "Hey, every book is a different color!" Link smiled and nodded. "Right. There is only 16 books, with all of the colors of the rainbow and more. So the combination is definitely color-coded. Now then, which colors and how many?"

Mario looked up. "Let me guess. The colors of the symbol." The symbol was plain, just three colored stripes. Link nodded and removed the purple book, the dark green book, and the black book. Gears could be heard moving, and the shelf shifted to the right, revealing a staircase.

"Where does it go?" Asked Syl.

"Up!" Luffy pointed up and walked in said direction. The rest followed.

* * *

"Yoh won."

"Pardon?" Asked Sonic. Anna repeated.

She was right. The dust cleared, and Yoh remained standing until everyone saw he was the winner. He collapsed as the crowd restarted their frenzy. Ryu had fallen into a deep sleep caused by both the attack and the duration of the battle. He wasn't that injured, but he wasn't doing any jumping jacks anytime soon.

The announcer ran out and grabbed Yoh, and lifted his hand. "AND THE WINNER…BY THE VERY INCH OF STRENGTH…YOH!" However, before the crowd could cheer, a whiney was heard in the distance. A black horse and his master jumped into the arena, and silenced the crowd. Of course, Tao Ren made his grand entrance. He was smiling, happy that his rival was able to overcome the doofus.

Lyserg just simply walked into the arena.

Yusuke and Sonic jumped down and moved Yoh out of the arena. When Yoh next woke up, he was in his room at the inn. Anna sat next to him. Yoh groaned, and tilted upwards. Anna handed him a bowl of rice, before Yoh got any ideas, Sora and Yusuke bought in more food. Yoh gingerly ate the food he was given, before he asked what happened. They explained he was out for about thirty minutes.

"So…did they find anything at the building?" Yoh asked.

"Nothing yet. Mario just recently called in about a secret staircase. They're currently investigating." Sonic disclosed. Yoh got up and grabbed his sword and preceded to walk out. Anna questioned, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find Ryu. I'll follow him." Yoh grabbed a jacket for the chilly night and walked towards the door, with the Yusuke, Sonic, and Sora. "We'll go with you. There is going to trouble." Yusuke explained. Yoh nodded and opened the door.

Anna said a quiet 'good-bye'.

* * *

Finally, a light shined in the passageway. A small light, but still never the less, a light. The end of the passage was near. The League ran forward to finally find the truth they were searching for. It ended with a huge grey building with few windows and some stuff in the middle.

"Where are we?" Asked Naruto. A small wind blew though the small cracks that could be called 'windows'. Link closed his eyes, and listened to the wind. It was heavy, like they were high up. "We're under the helicopter pad, I think." Syl walked up to the stuff in the middle. It was a desk and a chair, some lab equipment, and a filing cabinet. He went straight to the cabinet, and checked the files. When the others came, he showed a single file marked, _2GS_.

"It means 2nd Great Spirit." Syl explained. "I just skimmed it, but it shows that is trying to pool different shaman's spirits together to create his own Great Spirit." "What's that?" Asked Mario. "The Great Spirit is the oldest and strongest spirit on this world." Explained Naruto. "But Yoh explained it was made up of billions of spirits. How is he going to make a second one with just 63?"

"Maybe it's this juice on the table?" Asked Luffy, pointing to a vial of orange liquid of the table. Link picked it up and shook it. He found the label and read it. "Excelotain. Hey, Syl anything in the file about this?"

"Umm…spell it."

"E…x…c…e…l…o…t…a…i…n. Excelotain. Anything?"

"It's listed here as a boost to spirit power. 'Has proven to work with most shamans…some results may vary.' It doesn't say anything else about the varied results. I'll check other files…" Syl dug into the files, looking for anything else. Link examined the other vials on the lab table, while Mario turned on the computer. Luffy and Naruto looked around the secret area for anything else.

"Here. There something about a secret underground lab, meant for experimentation of the shamans. It even gives its address! We're set!" Mario shouted to the group, pointing the location of the secret lab on a map. Syl and Link, who were comparing both the files and liquids, though it was obvious that the liquids were drugs to enhance the shaman's spirits to make a second Great Spirit.

"All right! Hey, does it show anything about any traps, security measures, like that?" Asked Syl. Mario clicked around, and shook his head. Syl took a couple of files and some liquids with him in his bag for further investigation. Luffy shouted from a corner, showing he found another secret staircase. It was smaller than the last one. The League went up, and found them on the rooftops.

"Well, that was a waste of time. There is no reason to be here." Said Syl. "Thanks Luffy!"

"What?" Luffy looked confused.

"Come on." Link pointed to the normal door. "We need to hurry. Judging by the arena's sudden silence, Yoh's match is done. We need to get there." He pulled out a print-out of the map leading to the secret lab.

"When did you…" Naruto asked, but stopped, realizing that the author was just being lazy, but shrugged, also realizing the story needed to end, 32 pages of Microsoft Word was already used.

But before the League could go down, a missile flew out and destroyed the door. The League was taken down by the shockwave. The smoking remains of the staircase rained down, but the League managed to get up to avoid the debris. A attack helicopter was waiting for the heroes.

"DAMN! They found us! How?" Syl asked, before another missile flew out. Syl threw up a barrier and missile exploded, breaking the barrier. A minigun roared up, the League avoided behind the destroyed staircase's remains.

"Guys! Go to the secret lab! I'll handle this clown!" Syl sprang up from his hiding place, and fired his stolen gun. Like his normal Spirit sword, the bullets rocked the helicopter, but not do any real damage. Syl wanted the copter to leave, not to destroy it. He avoided the gunfire and the missiles. It seemed the pad was designed to withstand missiles.

"Right!" Link grabbed Luffy by the scruff of his neck and moved back to the secret staircase. The copter tried to follow, but it was hard to ignore the energy bullets banging it up. The League made it to the staircase, before a missile destroyed the entrance, blocking it. Syl circled-strafed around the copter, continually firing. The copter was taking some good damage, but it wasn't leaving. It had only five missiles left, it was saving them.

It finally saw its opportunity when Syl rolled behind some debris. The copter fired two missiles, at different sides of the debris. Syl rolled forward, into another missile. Syl managed to block with his barrier, and continued to move. He was unable to fire at the copter, too busy avoiding gunfire. The copter followed Syl's strategy. The two man who were manning the copter started to laugh at the expense of the poor guy.

Finally, the last two missiles fired, the special heat-seekers. Syl noticed the red-tipped missiles, and quickly thought of a plan. He quickly ran back to the edge of the pad, and stood, holding his ground. The man who was in charge of the minigun quickly realized Syl's plan and tried to warn his partner, but it was too late. The missiles fired; time seemed to be slowed down for Syl. He pulled his gun out, and a powerful shot of Spirit energy fired, destroying both missiles and heavily damaging the copter.

The copter lost its altitude, some of its devices were destroyed, but it could still function. The copter decided to take the hint and leave. Syl sighed a breath of relief and walked back to the secret staircase and moved the blockage. He holstered the gun and ran out of the building to the lab.

* * *

Ryu, tied down to a gurney, and knocked out, and taken to a abandoned building. It had a arson incident awhile back, but still held up all intact. The whole building could be explored without it falling down. The entrance to the lab was in the basement, where the boiler exploded due to the bomb placed by the crazy man, thankfully the bomb just destroyed the floor above it.

The gurney was pushed into the elevator and sent into the lab. The soldiers guarding the medics looked around, checking for any following them. They never actually found anyone before, but the money was good, and the other benefits were enough to stay on this boring job. The gurney was placed in the elevator, and they all went down.

Yoh, Yusuke, Sonic and Sora exited from behind their hiding places and moved towards the elevator.

"We should have waited for the others." Yusuke said quietly, not wanting any attention.

"Ryu and others could be trouble. We'll have to wing it." Yoh walked over to the staircase that was for the guards to go down. Yusuke groaned, and followed. The others followed quietly.

"Winging won't help us past security doors. And you're still tired." Sonic pointed out. Yoh's breathing was heavy. He shrugged it off and moved forward a bit faster without making any sounds. The staircase was dark, the lighting here was poor. It was never used; why use a wooden staircase when you have a nice metal lift? (It wasn't much of a elevator anyway.)

A sound of a motor running could be heard; getting louder. The four hid in the non-lit parts, but nobody came up, just sending the lift back up to wait for the next experiment. The four waited for a bit, just in case, and continued to move silently downstairs. It finally got lighter after a minute of walking in the dark.

There was two guards standing there, in front of a door that cost a fortune. The guards spent more time playing cards than actual guarding, so a tap on the neck by a fast blue hedgehog was all they needed to get a few 'z's. The rest of the group moved out of the hiding place to replace the guards. They checked the guards for anything useful, but there was nothing to open the door, or any doors for that matter.

Yusuke, however, decided being blunt was the best way, and smashed the electrical lock. The door swung open; thankfully no alarm went off, or anyone noticed. It was like nobody cared about security or actually didn't bothered at all. They ran in, the reading on Ryu was getting fainter; either getting too far away or he was getting weaker. Sonic quickly ran down the hall, checking for traps or guards. He discovered at least four pressure-switches and two guards at the end of every five meters. He took a marker and circled around the switches. The guards? Asleep. No need to bother them.

The four finally made it to the end of left hallway. Ryu's Furyoku had gotten stronger, but was getting weaker. Various machines and liquids could be heard on other side of the door. Thankfully, the door was old-fashioned in style, so Sora unlocked it with his Keyblade.

"Oy! Is that you, Private? You bought in a new specimen? Well, bring it in!" Said a high-pitched voice, that of a clichéd mad scientist. He whistled a tune that was incoherent to any audile ears. The group walked in. There wasn't any guards; just the one lonely, small man washing his hands. Ryu and other shamans were strapped into lab tables, some had small orbs of spiritual energy hovering above.

The scientist stopped washing. He realized something is wrong with the way the Private entered. He was supposed to whistle something, anything. No one was whistling. He waited until the steps got closer, and grabbed his gun and turned. No one was there, but a chop to the neck was all he needed. Yusuke moved him to the closet, then worked with the others to free the shamans.

Ryu's eyes reopened to see the last thing he saw before he went to sleep, Yoh. Ryu busted out of his restraints and leapt to his feet. He stretched like nothing happened. "Hey! This isn't the inn? Where am I? And…what the hell?" Was the first thing that came out. Yoh explained, as Ryu helped un-tie the other shamans.

"Hey! I don't see Matilda. Where is she?" Yoh pointed out that all the losers were there but her. Yusuke grabbed a TV remote and turned the TV on. It showed the match between Ren and Lyserg. Bason's kwan do was stabbing the air with lighting speed, while Morphine was bouncing all over the place, creating a net to hopefully catch Ren in it. Both fighters were trying to out-smart each other. A time-counter was on the screen, the match was currently running at 15 minutes, 32 seconds and counting. The monitor had static, and it showed Mr. Oshiro watching, another static, a sniper, loading a dart into his rifle.

"Mr. Oshiro wants his experiments to come in faster, I see." Said Sonic. "We need to hurry." Sonic checked our rooms around the area, and found nobody. "I get these people out of here. You guys find any others." Sonic lead the others out, taking out the guards who woke up hearing the crowd.

The remaining three ran down the hall and turned left into the other hallway. It was a bit longer than the last one, and had more guards in it. Yoh and Sora ran and slashed his way though, while Yusuke busted his way though. There was doors, either Sora or Yusuke unlocked or destroyed. The guards piled up by the minute, but the three handled just fine. No one could stop them. The Heroic League was rolling.

The door was in sight. Yusuke kicked it down with a flying kick, rolled, and flipped-kicked into two guards. He fired several energy shots into different directions, sending guards flying. A guard who managed to dodge the initial attack let loose the first machine gun fire of the day, but it was blocked by a single punch. The punch continued to hit the guard into the wall. In about fifteen seconds, ten guards were down for the count. And Yusuke shrugged.

There was only four shamans there. Matilda and three others from the other day. The 'spirit ball' were floating higher above the ones in the other room; the more successful ones. Still, the balls fell back into the bodies once they woke up. Matilda woke the same way Ryu did, looking at Yoh. She growled, and kicked him. She complained at Yoh, kicked him again, and only stopped by a tap from Yusuke. He also carried her out.

However, the middle area of the lab collapsed, sending the heroes even deeper into the secret lab…

* * *

Link and the group from the building took out two guards that were guarding the entrance. Luffy moved the bodies into the shadows and the rest proceeded inside. Naruto's clones also hid in the shadows, waiting for anyone else. Mario looked at the floor, and noticed something in the dust. Footprints.

"It's Sonic's boots. I recognize it." Mario pointed it out for the others. Link looked a bit closer, and also saw Sora's shoes and Yoh's sandals. "They're downstairs. Yoh must have followed." As if on cue, Sonic and a bunch of shamans ran out, while Sonic stopping at in front of the other League members. "Guys! I guess we should have waited." He said. "Hey, where is our 'great leader'?"

"He stayed behind to handle a copter. He's going to follow us as soon as he handles it." Link grabbed a fallen shaman and pushed him out of the doorway. "Where is the others?" "They went down a different way to find some others. Come on, I'll show you!" Sonic ran back the entrance to the lab, with the others in tow. As they got the fork, Mario stopped. Once the others saw him, they went back to see what's the matter.

"I remembered something in the plans. There is a secret passage here." Mario moved other to the left wall. "I think…the switch is here!" Mario pressed a panel in, and a section of the floor with Sonic on it fell under, leading Mario to laugh a little. "Hey! Let's investigate! We may find something interesting!" Luffy jumped in. Naruto shrugged, and followed. Link decided that he should follow, but he heard gun fire down the hall.

He was going to investigate…but a push solved that. And the door closed, waiting…

* * *

Syl took a little longer, he had to print out another copy and try to find the place. It took him a bit longer, but was able to take out two guards who had woke up. He rushed into the building and ran into a clone. "Hey! Where is everybody?" The clone pointed to trapdoor that was closed. Syl threw it open, prying it off its hinges. He knew that someone else had followed the League; why would his friends close the door, waiting for him. Someone had come in to clean up.

Syl threw the lift controls into high speed, and descended as fast as he could. He jumped off before the lift crashed, and ran as fast as he could down the hall to find his friends. He stopped at the fork, finding the missing section, along with the asleep body of Matilda at the edge. He jumped in the hole, not ready to baseballed into a wall by a machine gun. He landed next to Link, rubbing his head. Syl shook his head and looked at the man.

The man was a huge and stocky Japanese man, smoking a cigar. He wore light army fatigue, with the sleeves cut short. He wore four bandoliers, and wore at least two huge machine guns on his back. His bat was currently resting on his shoulder. He took a huge smoke, and spoke something in a heavy Japanese accent. Yoh pulled up and told Syl what exactly the giant said.

"Killing all of you is going to be a delicacy." Syl gulped.

The giant took a minute to load his gun, giving all the time League needed to escape. The secret underground area was just a bunker made out of rock. The bullets embedded in the wall, as the giant laughed. He continued to fire with one hand as he grabbed a grenade with another. He threw it in the direction of Luffy, Naruto and Mario, exploding without hitting one. For one big guy in one generally small room he was doing well.

He continue to fire, now with two guns. This guy was so high that he could have used the third gun in his mouth. The League was too busy to dodging bullets to handle the man. The giant didn't stand still, he moved like a tank, and made sure that one gun was still firing while reloading another. He didn't use any more grenades though. When Link threw his boomerang, the giant rolled out of the way of both the throw and the return. He returned fired as the boomerang came back, but Link pulled out his shield and withstand the fire, and was pushed into the wall as a result.

This allowed Yoh and Yusuke to do their 'Y Cross' attack, but this barely lifted him up, as much as hurt him. He stumbled back, with Sonic bicycle-kicking him back. The giant regained his balance, but was sent back by Syl's spirit gunfire. The giant tried to fire back, but Naruto's clones beat him up, with Luffy dealing the final blow, 'Gum-Gum Pistol' to the head. He fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

After Mario lifted Link up from the wall, he and the others jumped out. Yusuke grabbed Matilda and they went out of the building together. "I remember something from Oshiro's computer. He was listened as the man he trusted the most. The only guy that was worth Oshiro's payroll." Syl said, as he wiped off some ash from his forehead. Everyone was covered in grey dust from rolling around in the bunker. "Right. Score one for us." Naruto slid down the side of the building, tired. Link just placed his back to the wall, knowing full well it wasn't over.

"Did you find anything else?" Asked Link. Yusuke spoke. "There is a sniper placed at the arena. Oshiro wants things to move a bit faster." Sonic nodded his head, and ran back to the arena to handle it. Syl took several breaths, and ran as fast as he could to follow. "Hey. Where are you going?" Asked Luffy. "I gotta-'huff' help! Come on!" He hurried down the street as fast as he could. Link sighed, and followed.

"Syl. Come on. Sonic can handle him." Link managed to stop Syl. Syl shrugged him off. "I know. But Oshiro is still there, he isn't going down that easy." Link sighed again. "You don't have to. One person is enough." Syl sighed, and smiled again. "Listen…I need to do this. All the time. It's something I shouldn't do, and I want to do." Link looked confused. "What?"

"Listen, Link. Call me a boy scout, but I like helping people. I…I…that just something I wanted to do with my life! I lost my smile years ago due to a incident, one which I will explain at a later date. Making others smile and get back up makes me feel better about myself. It's not only my job as a Spirit User, but my life. Call me a bit insane, but I want to live my life this way. So, please." Link pondered the words a bit longer, and let him go. Syl ran off…

"Do you want my help or not?"Syl turned around. Link and the rest was waiting behind him.

Syl's smile returned.

* * *

The sniper was given a direct order, one, direct order. Shoot the kid with the green hair. The kid with the pointy black hair needed to win the match. Betting was placed heavy on the 'Ren' kid, so Oshiro wanted to corner this. The first round showed which ones were the best shamans to double the money he used to pay for the whole tournament. The sniper had already been paid five hundred yen for each body he took down, and this one was worth a million. There was no chance for him to miss.

Sadly, a gust of wind behind his back made him miss, instead, Ren was hit in the neck, rendering him unconscious. The crowd gasped; unlike the others, this one was in sight. Oshiro also gasped, but then realized he needed to kill the sniper for failing. But the unconscious sniper fell into his lap, sending him flying off his chair. A blue hedgehog stood in front of him.

"Hey, fatty! Cheating is for losers! Nyah nyah nyah!" Sonic's tongue was enough for Oshiro to roar and lash out with a bread knife. A blur later, and Sonic held Oshiro's arm in lock. He struggled, but only got as far as his chair. "Okay! You want to sit down? All right!" He shoved the man into the chair, but only for Oshiro to push a button on the chair. The whole arena rumbled, an square opened up in the middle. Oshiro laughed, and a second button later, his chair and him went under a trap door. Sonic turned around to see a huge, sleek, robot pop out. Under Oshiro's stand, a tube came out of the wall, and out shot a capsule containing the chair and Oshiro.

The robot clicked, and ready to fight. Sonic was well at fighting giant robots; basically his job. He ran around the robot; gaining more room as the crowd ran away in fear. Lyserg had to drag the snoring Ren away. Sonic continued to dodge the arms as he looked for the area he could roll into. He try to bash the head, but sent back to the ground on his feet. Sonic continued to run even faster, lasers rained down like rain. Sonic hid behind a barrier and began to catch his breath. He wasn't tired, just a bit annoyed he couldn't do anything on his own.

Thankfully, a Reigun blast took care of the robot's head. It wasn't that strong anyway.

The rest of the League ran in, only to watch the robot fall and explode. The capsule containing Mr. Oshiro also shot out, and he landed on one side of the arena. The opening popped out, and Mr. Oshiro managed to get out and run. The police, tipped off about his various crimes, were waiting.

"That was a bit anti-climatic, ain't it?" Asked Luffy.

"NOT ANY MORE!" Out jumped from the top of the arena came a huge body, followed by two smaller bodies slowly descending.

"BOWSER!" Yelled Mario.

"EGGMAN!" Shouted Sonic.

"MALEFICENT!" Yelled Sora.

"IT'S ROBOTNIK! ROBOTNIK!" Yelled back Robotnik.

"Well, anyhow, we have been waiting!" Bowser shoved Robotnik to the side so he could speak. "Mr. Oshiro? Just your warm-up! A bunch of tip-offs was all we needed to keep you busy for quite a while! Now, ready for Round 4?" Bowser laughed.

"Well…there IS nine of us, and just three of you…shouldn't take that long." Link pulled out his sword, and other got into positions. Bowser smirked, along with Robotnik and Maleficent. The latter two snapped the fingers with a loud crack. Two other giant shadows dropped in, one shiny, another black. The robot from earlier and the Haunted Keeper. The robot was marked Egg-Slick.

"Your odds just went up by a inch. One of us can handle them, leaving seven to handle you three." Naruto wasn't going to work with his clones.

Then the robot and the Heartless doubled in size.

"I guess we forgot to mention the ones you fought were just the…'proto-types'." Maleficent waved her wand, and a ground of earth came up to be her platform. Robotnik's Egg-Mobile gained two arms: a arm with a fist, and one with a laser. Bowser just flexed, cracked his knuckles, and roared. Syl pointed Link and Luffy to the Haunted Keeper, and Yusuke and Naruto to the Egg-Slick. Of course, Mario vs. Bowser, Sonic vs. Robotnik, and Sora vs. Maleficent. Syl and Yoh would focus on who ever got close.

The Haunted Keeper let loose a huge black fog from its mouth, covering up both Link and Luffy, preventing them from seeing anything. So the Keeper took potshots from the distance, with other bad guys also joining in when they had a chance. Luffy and Link rolled around to avoid what ever came their way. Link stopped to look for the Heartless though the fog. He squinted, and saw something a tad bit off-color. He grabbed Luffy, and quickly spoke some instructions.

Luffy grabbed Link's ankles and spun him right around. Like a record. (No. I'm not going further.) After several rotations, Link shot forward like a rocket, making a hole in the thick fog. With his sword straight forward, he pierced though the Keeper's hand, making it screech, and allowing Luffy to follow the sound out of the thick fog. Link was flung off, and Luffy caught him and threw him back.

Maleficent was just coasting around, firing off huge magical bombs at everyone while blocking the attacks from Sora and the occasional others. She seemed to be a bit bored. She summoned up several Defenders and Darkballs to handle both Syl and Yoh. Syl and Yoh together kicked over a Defender onto its back, and then kicked it forwards, taking care of several other Heartless. Sora grabbed the sliding Heartless, lifted it up with a Gravity spell, and slammed into Maleficent.

Robotnik decided to stay close to the Egg-Slim; Yusuke and Naruto worked with Sonic. Yusuke grabbed Sonic, and launched him at both enemies, pinballing between the two. Naruto's clones lured the Egg-Slim away. Between punching and the lasers, the Egg-Slim didn't notice that three Narutos were charging up some energy in the back.

When the last clone was killed, The Egg-Slim turned, only for a Naruto to charge at it. It attempted to block, but after a powerful cry of '_RASENGAN!'_ and the following attack was more powerful than the poor robot could handle. The spiral of charka tore though the Egg-Slim's arms, and though the chest. The machine fell down, sparked, and, of course, exploded. Naruto created more clones and ran off to fight Heartless.

Luffy and Link were too busy playing catch with the Haunted Keeper to actually fight it. Every time they tried to get close, the Keeper would just throw them back. It only would fight at long-distance. Link and Luffy were getting too tired for this. Finally, Luffy threw Link like a boomerang, landing on the Heartless' head. Link held onto its tentacles, and stabbed several times into the head. The monster tried to knock him off, but couldn't, for Luffy bazookaed it in the chest. Link back-flipped off the head, and stabbed straight forward into the monster's chest, killing it like before.

Bowser used both his fire breath and hammers to hopefully defeat Mario, but the plumber just dodged them all. But the fire and the hammers did hit Syl and Sora. Mario got a plenty of jumps in, but Bowser got smart, and ducked under his shell to stop the jumping Italian. However, Mario also got wise, and fired fireballs into the chest cavity. They kept trying to do outdo each other.

Eggman…Robotnik saw the explosion of his second Egg-Slim and started to fight for serious this time. He fired several shots of laser rounds and charged forward with a punch. Sonic jumped up and bounced off the top of Robotnik's dome, cracking it. Three Naruto clones launched into the dome a second afterwards, cracking it even more. Robotnik flipped a switch, throwing up a electrical barrier to fry a rolling Sonic.

After Bowser knocked Mario away with a swing of his arm, he launched himself forward into Link's side. Link was impaled by several spikes, but managed to pull away before the spikes got any further into his flesh. He pulled out of the battle and laid on the wall to keep the pressure on his side. Three Darkballs decided that two swordsmen was enough, but one injured one was a gift. Link opened his eyes to see three hungry mouths coming at him. Thankfully, he could continue to fight with just one arm.

But the Darkballs could take a few blows before they started to dodge the wild swings. Link was losing a lot of blood fast, his sight had gotten a bit blurry. The Heartless started to get closer without touching the sword. The sword was getting a bit heavy also…

Syl slashed off a Defender's head for the reason to look cool. His smile disappeared as soon as he saw Link being surrounded by Heartless. He vaulted other Robotnik's Mobile, stopping the mad scientist from charging up a laser. He danced around whatever tried to stop him from reaching Link. Before the Darkballs could take a bite out of Link, they were all killed by a attack from the back. Syl ran over to Link's side, and held pressure on the side, applying some Spirit power to seal the wounds.

"Thank you." Link got to his feet, but had to use his sword as a crutch. "Hey. You need to rest. You don't have to fight anymore." Syl try to put Link down, but Link didn't bulge. "Like you said…I have to it. Come on!" Link raised his sword above his head, pointed forward. Syl smiled and did the same. They rushed forward together, swords held behind them with both hands. When a enemy got close, the two slashed together with powerful slashes that dealt enough damage to destroy a Defender's shield and kill it. Finally, when the three villains came close, the two rolled-slashed into the three, leading up to a slash that cut into the ground with a explosion.

With all the Heartless gone, the three villains were all that was left. Bowser was launched by a hammer into the evening sky, Robotnik was sent flying by a spin dash, and Maleficent decided to disappear into a green bat shape light. Finally, the long night was over. Oshiro is in jail, the shamans were free, and the bad guys were defeated.

But Ren was awake, and wanted a rematch…

* * *

Syl decided to close up his mission with Wakahisa before leaving the for the next world. The same un-named bar at the same time.

Everyone was a bit of pain afterwards, for a mission that lasted a little over two hours of constant action. Everyone was wore bandages all over, nothing serious. Link was the worst, having both been driven into a wall by gunfire and nearly impaled by a shell of spikes. Several of them needed to rest for a day, including Yoh.

Wakahisa and his two bodyguards were waiting. There was already a glass of juice waiting. Syl shrugged and took a swing. After a minute of drinking, Wakahisa spoke.

"I need to thank you for the great service you did for me and Japan. Oshiro is going to spend a quite some time in jail. His entire fortunate is gone, and his assets have been wired to me. I'll try to bring back the tournament. You're free to visit me back in my new office building."

"Hiding in plain sight? Pretty ballsy." Said Syl. Wakahisa laughed. Even his usually silent bodyguards chuckled a little bit. "Here is your pay." Syl took the envelope and opened it up, counting out at least 10,000 dollars. (In macro-verse money). "Thank you. Now, unless you have something you can't handle, please, don't bother us." Syl got up to leave, but got blocked again.

"We will see." Syl sat down, waiting for more. "What do you need?"

"I would have paid you twice, but there is something you might need." He showed two pictures of hooded men. "These two men are father and son." The taller one Syl didn't recognize, and the smaller one was the one following the heroes. "The tall hood was on the pirate world only. He seems to be looking for his son, your little rival." Syl took the two photos and placed them in his bag.

"You may leave." Wakahisa's cane went up. "Hey, may I ask where you and your friends are going?"

"The answer? Dragons."

And Syl moved forward. The League was moving up.

* * *

The good two hoods watched as a weeping Oshiro was taken inside into prison, sandwiched between two murderers. The short one turned his head to ask, "Whatever happened to other villains that were here? I lost track of them after the last fight." The tall hood put her hands on her hips. "They left back to Bowser's Castle. They won't be back to bother anyone for a while, but they're still recruiting."

"So…we need to work even faster. We don't want our target getting close to them, or helping them. We just need two things to focus on." The tall hood shook her head in agreement. "Let's follow the League. If Syl wants a bigger part, we can give him one." She opened up a portal. Both stepped inside.

Who? Somebody asked that question.

* * *

Bowser laid on his throne, bruised and battered. It wasn't as bad as other times, but enough to be angry. Then again, he acted like this all the time. Robotnik was repairing his Egg-Mobile, and Maleficent was reading her book again. Bowser took a good look at them and got angry that they were so undamaged, unlike him.

He yelled to the sky, "AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH! Not even two others could do it! Why? Why can't we defeat them? WWHHHYYYYY?" Robotnik threw a wrench at his head to shut him up. Bowser shook his head and sighed. He tried to go to asleep, but then…

"H-Hey! What about this Hao guy and the second guy" The same Goomba who reported earlier walked in. After bowing, he reported. "They arrived that instant you left. Just like that, you left, they walked in. Bam!" Bowser growled, waiting for the Goomba to introduce them. Hao walked in, waving like Yoh did when he met the League. "Hello, my name is Hao. I look familiar, don't I?"

"Yes, like that shaman!" Bowser shouted.

"An…old friend. I heard you got into a fight recently back at my home. You could have asked me to help." Hao sat down. "However, I'm willing to help. Because I like adventuring." Bowser took a second to laugh. He was gaining members to challenge his old nemesis. The finish line was in sight. But then struck him.

He couldn't see it, but it was painful. He got up to see the second guest.

"You asked for a god?"

* * *

_EPIC 9 END._

_EPIC 10: THE HOPE OF THE UNIVERSE COMING SOON

* * *

_

_My…god._

_Over 20,000 words. The LONGEST chapter by far._

_All done in under a month! WOO! Not even a ten days of computer break-down stopped me! _

_Yeah, some parts are rushed to make it short. Sorry, but I didn't what to work forever on this chapter. Soon, the tenth chapter will be realized. I will have to work faster._

_As always, review, please. Flames are accepted._

'_Gasp'. THE END! _


	11. Hope Of The Universe

HEROIC LEAGUE EPIC 10: The Hope of the Universe

**Theme Song: Traveling Far From The Past by Sylvin Wallace**

_I know what it is like,_

_To live alone._

_Family gone for good, and friends too._

_But, yet, I'm…_

_READY TO START MY NEW LIFE!_

_The door is open,_

_I'm ready to go!_

_A brand new day is waiting…_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together, we shall…_

…_push forward!_

_Our pasts live inside of us,_

_But they're more like nightmares._

_But yet,_

_We can't forget…_

…_the place we come from._

_Even if we can't go there again!_

_The gateway is ajar,_

_And we're off!_

_Tomorrow is coming,_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together we shall…_

…_fly far!_

_Yesterday…_

_All my troubles came on that day…_

_They're here to stay…_

_..but..._

_I must remember one thing…_

_Never forget…_

…_never forgive._

_The path is ready,_

_And off we go!_

_Next day is just around the corner,_

_But I don't care!_

_Just me and my friends…_

…_go on!_

_

* * *

_

_I made it! My 10__th__ chapter! Sure, on it's actually my 11__th__ chapter, but interludes don't count. So, my 10__th__ epic and we're cooking! I managed to do a chapter longer than any others in under a month, and not even computer repairs slow me down! I'm going for a new record!_

_Still, I do have college, and need to use my laptop for note-taking. (It's faster, and easier) But don't worry. I still have this to work on, and I broke my boredom block and now I can do this anywhere, anytime!_

_So, still. I do want some more reviewers. I need to know how I'm doing. See if you can get your friends to review also._

_In this chapter…Syl will get a lot less of screen time._

_I use' was' too often. I need to go back to school._

_Also, Kairi's Keyblade has an actual name. Destiny's Embrace. Not Heart of Destiny. Aw well. _

_The DBZ World takes place eleven years after the defeat of Kid Buu and a year after the Goku flew off with Uub.. And yes, there shall be no GT. That should please some of 'ya._

_

* * *

_

The Allmacht zoomed forward though the stars at the fastest it could work at. Lights streamed around it, for the next stop was a long ways away. Link finally managed to pilot the machine, and was currently in control of the helm. He looked over to his right at the radar screen; no worlds or any obstacles in sight; a clear path ahead to the next destination.

Meanwhile, Luffy ran though the ship, checking out what everyone was doing. Syl was napping with his hat down, Yoh had followed suit in another room, Yusuke and Sonic were trying to learn magic from Sora (And failing), Mario was making lunch, and Naruto read a scroll about something, Luffy couldn't read the print on the front. He finally reached the main deck, and crashed into the chair next to Link, surprising him.

"Luffy! You need to stop that!" Luffy shrugged; Link sighed and went back to the controls. "Sorry, Link, but we're going to see Goku! I haven't seen him in a LONG time!" Luffy stretched out his arms to show how LONG it had been since the two met. Link didn't pay much attention. He looked back at the radar screen and the ship had drifted off course, the surprise of Luffy made Link move the controls to the left. He sharply turned back on course, sending everybody but Link on the ship falling off to the right.

Luffy scrambled back to his seat. "Hey, Link, I just remembered something when I hit my head on the floor!"

"What?"

"How come Naruto isn't going home?" Link remembered that Naruto mentioned a couple times that he was going home after solving the problem back at Yoh's world. But, after he woke up…

"_Hey! Syl, what's the next stop?"_

"_Dragons, Naruto! We're going to see everybody's old friend, Son Goku!"_

"_GOKU? WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?"_

Link had to wince after remembering how Luffy woke him up. Luffy was still smiling like a loon to his right. He had to sigh, he seemed to be the only serious man on board. Syl was Syl, Mario and Sonic came close to being serious, but if they came close…, Sora was still a kid, Luffy, I just shown, Naruto came in a close second next to Luffy, Yusuke had his immature moments, and Yoh was too lazy to be serious. And Goku only got serious during battle, as he heard.

But Goku, THE Son Goku, if Syl could get recruit him, the League would have access to the most powerful being in the entire macroverse! Even after the downsize, he would still be able to handle anything that came their way, even the hooded men wouldn't stand a chance against a Super Saiyan! But that lead to another thought, what if Goku became even more weaker? That if the whole macroverse power decrease made him even more weaker? The League had only explored a total of nine worlds. It was a bit early to make conclusions on anything.

"HEY!" Luffy shouted, as he turned the wheel away to avoid hitting a meteorite. Link shook his head; he had became lost in his thoughts. At least Luffy was paying attention.

But the rest of the crew stormed in, wondering why Link was flying so horribly.

* * *

Goku sighed. Another rainy day. He couldn't train, Uub was training on his own for a year, the fishing season was over, and Gohan was on vacation with his family. Just him and Chi-Chi. Who was tapping her foot, waiting for Goku to help her with the dishes. Her frying pan was waiting. She tapped him with it on the head. Goku's eyes opened up in surprise, and instantly zoomed over and began washing the dishes. Chi-Chi smiled, and sat down. For once it was nice for someone else to do the dishes. She put down her pan and picked up a newspaper. The main headline read…

_THE WIND STRIKES AGAIN!_

Interested, she read the on…

_ The guards at the Hercules Museum are carefully picked out by the Champion himself. They spent years in military training as marines, they can pinpoint where a noise came from, follow the trail of even the most careful crook, yet, last night, unable to stop the 'Wind' from carrying off with the golden statue of the Champion._

_ The Wind is a thief that no one could ever see. He comes in though the front door at night, with the lock not even touched, and makes off with anything he can get his fingers on. No camera has caught anything, no guard has heard anything, save for a gust of wind, to where this thief has its name. He left no notes, to which it's wondered if there is a thief, Captain Wormwood has a theory that he has worked on since the 3__rd__ theft. _

"_All of the museums are currently have some sort of debt." Said the Captain just yesterday. "The insurance would pay them enough. It makes sense, seeing how the staff knows how to get around the cameras."_

_The Wind strikes twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Police are offering a huge reward of 500,000 Zeni and the museums are offering 1,000,000 Zeni for the return of the property._

Chi-Chi put the newspaper down and bopped Goku on the head for listening in and not doing the dishes. The newspaper fell into the trashcan. Chi-Chi looked at Goku again, and grabbed the newspaper, and looked at the last line, the rewards. Goku could easy catch the Wind and get the reward for everything. This was the 6th robbery, so the total amount came down to 6,500,000 Zeni. Chi-Chi gleamed.

"Oh, Goku! How you like some training?" Goku finished the dishes at lightning speed and came to her side. After reading the article, he looked at her with a smile. She smiled back, approving.

"Alright! A chance to fight something that seems like a challenge! But…how am I going to find him? Which museum should I go to tomorrow?" Chi-Chi checked the newspaper again, and found the museums that were hit. She did a quick thinking over all of the museums, which ones had the most value, the ones who were close to the other robberies…

"Ah! The Southern City Atlantis Museum! The one that you took Pan to a week ago!" Goku rifled through a drawer and found the ticket he used. He looked at the location on the …

"Tomorrow night, Goku! You have a bit more chores to do! And tonight…something special!" Chi-Chi tickled under Goku's chin, suggesting something a tad bit inappropriate for this story. Hey, they are wife and husband, they can do that! Anyway, Goku smiled at the proposition, but only after frowning about the chores. He grabbed a vacuum…

…he stopped. He sensed something. Chi-Chi walked over to ask the first question. "What's wrong?"

"Something is falling. Actually, a couple of things. Wait…Luffy, Naruto, Yusuke, and Yoh! It's them! They actually came to visit! All right!" Goku rocked up his arm up and down. Chi-Chi sighed, remembering how much all of the four ate the last time they were there.

"Hey. Didn't you say they were falling?" She spoke. Goku stopped, and shot out of the window to rescue his friends.

* * *

"Link, if you can't keep your attention to the where the ship is going, why should we let you drive?" Asked Mario. The others said 'Yeah!' in unison. Link was embarrassed; but he couldn't be angry at Luffy, he could just ignore him, and the fact that Luffy saved his life added on to that. The others had grabbed the two away from the driver's seat to voice their complaints, so you know where this is going.

"Errgh…listen, sorry, I wouldn't get distracted again. But for now, will someone please take over? I'm starting to get a headache." Link walked off, holding his head in pain. The others looked at each, eager to take over the controls. Their eyes screamed the contest to determine the person who shall drive.

"One…Two…Three!"

Rock, Paper, Paper, Scissors, Rock, Rock, Rock, Paper.

"Damn! Why do people use this? It gets us nowhere!" Syl shouted.

"The only way we can this done is to face off one at a time! Like smart people!" Said Yusuke.

"Unlike Mario, then." Said Sonic with a chuckle.

"Your insult means nothing. You had a rock, and I had paper. I beat you once, I'll do it again!" Retorted Mario.

"Yeah, right!" Sonic said.

"How come I only got scissors?" Questioned Yoh.

"All right, all right!" Yusuke broke it up. "Everyone get into groups of two…Sonic, stay away from Mario!" Yusuke stood in front Mario to prevent Sonic from attacking the plumber, so Sonic paired up with Syl. Yoh went up against Sora, and Luffy versus Naruto. Everybody readied their guns, had their stare-down, and started the countdown.

"One…two…thr…"

"Hey." Link came in with a drink. He had calmed down and got rid of the headache. "So, who is flying the ship?"

The eight stopped, thought of what they were doing, and scrambled to the chair. The multiple amount of arms and legs trying to sit down knocked over a couple of switches that kept the ship from falling down into the ethereal abyss of space. The instant they saw the switched switches, they sticked to the ship's floor as the ship fell downwards. Link had strapped into a chair after he spoke. He took his time.

The crew managed to peel themselves off the floor and buckled in, with Syl taking the wheel without any arguing. He threw the switches up, but something broke when the ship fell, so nothing changed. All he could do was pilot the ship away from anything in the way. Link loosened his buckle belt and flipped several times into the co-pilot's chair and buckled in. He flipped a couple of switches and threw a big lever. The ship slowed down, but continued to fall. Syl pulled up tight, and the ship straighten up. Everybody fell out of the chairs soon after.

"How…how…how did you know to do that?" Syl asked, as he turned on the auto-pilot.

"I spent some time getting to find the ship works during the last stop." Link explained. He jumped down to the floor and opened up the maintenance door to check for any damage downstairs. Syl joined up, after shouting to the others to check for anything else on the ship.

"Ah." Syl closed the door. He flipped a switch, and the lights flicked all down the hall of pipes, machines, and everything the makes the ship tick. Link grabbed the tool bag and walked down the hall.

"It also explains the dents."

"Oh yeah! I was going to ask about that." They remained in silence for a while, walking down the long corridor looking for any damage. A light fog covered the floor, and the air occasionally with steam. The whole thing creaked, but everything seemed to hold up just fine. Whispers could be heard from upstairs, it sounded like Mario and Sonic were fighting, Luffy and Naruto found the fridge busted and the food falling out, and Sora, Yusuke and Yoh apparently found that the only real damage happened in the training room, a weight rack fell apart.

Finally, the two ended at the core, a cylinder named, "Simple Sun", a special edition generator that Cid came up with; it said to have the power of a small star. The path circled around it. A hissing noise could be heard from behind. The two circled, and found a crack at the bottom. A burning smell came off the crack. Link pulled out some glue and a metal plate and began the repair. He stopped, and looked at the damage a bit closer. Syl bent down and tried to see what the matter was.

"I'll bite. What do you see?" He asked. Link stopped looking and finished the repair.

"This damage wasn't caused when the ship fell. We were attacked by something. A laser?" Link looked around for any more laser blasts. Syl's right eyebrow went up in question. He looked at the generator's damage. His eyes glowed Spirit blue, and looked over the damage. The damage had a green glow, radiating a little bit. He figured that they were struck when they were in free fall, the damage was small; so they wouldn't feel it.

The instant he figured that out, another laser hit the ship, creating an explosion next to Syl. The generator didn't get damaged, and Syl got shrapnel in his arm. Link got up and moved Syl out of the there, as more lasers hit the ship over and over again. Link jumped up onto the ladder and flew up out of there. Sora was at the controls, Luffy (Who had a Water spell he learn on the sly. What? Don't look at me that away.) handled the fires coming out of the computers, Yusuke and Mario was moving debris, and the others were at other controls, keeping the ship alive.

Syl moved over to a chair and rolled up his sleeve and began first aid on himself. Link ran to the window to see their attackers. A huge metal space ship fell by, with a blood red skull on the side. Space pirates, hiding in the meteorites, waiting for their next targets. They turned around, and opened the forward cannons and opened fire; going for the kill.

"LINK!" Syl shouted over the roar of the space battle. He threw Link some keys. "The code is 5509!" Link nodded. He ran out of the main deck, and down the hall to the back of the ship. He opened the door, and sat into a chair, which shot up into a gun turret. He inputted the code, and the keypad went down, and up went the gun controls. Link pulled down some specs and began to fight back. He aimed for the cannons and after a minute of fire, one exploded, and the pirate ship rocked a bit, throwing the aim off a bit.

"Okay! Link, hold on! The ship is going to make some extreme maneuvers!" Sora's voice came out of the speakers, and the Allmacht shot to the side of the cannons. Link rocked, but he didn't stop firing at the cannons until they were out of sight. Sora bought the Allmacht up to the top of the pirate ship. Turrets also popped out.

Link pulled a lever, and dropped down to the under of the ship. He took out the turrets one by one; like the movies, lasers hit the ship around Link, but none hit him. Sora continued to fly around the worst of the gunfire, and allowed Link to do his job. The ship took heavy damage from the exploding turrets, but they pressed on. They seemed determined to win this thing.

The Allmacht pulled out, and ran to the side. Link figured that Sora wanted him to destroy the weapons to make the pirates go away. He pulled the lever again, and went back up. The cannon-mans got new orders, aim for the turret. (Because they would haven't figured out by themselves) Link had to stop firing for a minute to let the gun cool down. An odd silence hung in space, not even the pirates fired.

They were pulling out every cannon they had on that side. Twelve huge cannons, 24 medium cannons, and 48 gatling guns. Link figured they were going to fire all at once, like the British army of the colonial times. The heat meter was still too high to fire without damaging the gun. He figured that Sora was waiting for the right moment to shoot forward. But yet, the engines shut down, a slow hum could be heard as the engines died.

They weren't moving. Sora didn't say anything. Link never was the panic type, but he felt a bit worried.

Sora's finger rested on a little button.

"Uh…Sora? Is there something wrong with the engines? Respond." Sora ignored Link's request and waited. The pirates smiled, a sitting duck was always fun. They wouldn't get any treasure, and it sure as hell they had to pay for the repair, but their rate of gain was still the highest in this section of the macroverse. As well as obtaining a small reward from the guy in the hood who lead them to this trouble of a ship.

"Sora? What are you waiting for!" Link yelled. The cannons got louder.

"SORA!"

The pirate's cannon fired.

And the shield Sora threw up bounced the lasers back.

The damage done to the pirate ship was enough to leave the Allmacht alone. Link watched with his mouth open.

"…Sora…WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!" Sora's laugh filled the speaker, along with others. Link growled; his thoughts turned to a revenge plot. But before he could go into details, the ship rocked violently. Several explosions hit the ship, but they came from the inside. Allmacht had taken too much damage from the pirates, and a crash landing was the only way for the ship to land. Link flipped a switch to go back down and raced to the deck. Yoh was waiting for him, handing a dome. They're a special kind of space suit, another gift from Cid. Link threw it on and rushed to the main deck to prepare for landing.

And yet, Yoh got trapped by a falling beam. Link yelled, and got the attention of Luffy. The two tried to lift the beam, and managed to lift it up, but an explosion again rocked the ship, making Yoh and the beam travel to the side. Luffy and Link got up and this time Link tried to cut the beam while Luffy tried to bend the beam, but Yoh waved them off.

"Guys! Get strapped in. I'm fine, I'm already strapped in!"

" No way!" Luffy tried bend harder, but lost his standing, and fell to the floor. Link stopped hacking, he wasn't getting anywhere.

"Hey, I'm actually fine! This actually is a bit comfy!" Yoh put his hands behind his head. His face showed pain, but he smiled anyway. "Go! Get to safety!" Another failing beam sent Luffy away. Link stayed for a bit, placed his shield on top of Yoh, and ran to safety. Yoh held the shield with one shield and prepared for probably the most unpleasant ride of his life. His eyes grew heavy from the blow to his head…

"Where's Yoh?" Yelled Sora. Link and Luffy strapped in first. "He's fine!" Link yelled back, holding his seat from the endless shaking that started to occur as they neared the next world. Everyone was holding on as tight as they could, the shaking got worse as they fell even further. The wings were falling apart, one was completely gone. The ozone layer burned the ship with intensity so hot that everybody was sweating like fountain. Sora held the wheel tight, making sure the ship traveled straight down instead of traveling in it.

And the ship just lost it…

* * *

Goku flew up as high as he could. He could still sense them, but didn't see them. He waited around as the feeling got stronger and closer. A speck could be seen finally, and got close; and faster. It was a huge space ship with a weird design, and damaged badly. Goku tighten himself up to brace for the catch. The ship had become a fireball and was crumbling even faster. Goku looked down, and moved over to the left to fall into the lake. He held his arms close to his torso, to force his entire weight onto stopping the ship.

The ship ran into Goku and both the man and the ship went rocketing down. Goku's hands burned, but he held on. The pouring rain just evaporated when it came close. His body pushed harder, and eventually the ship started to slow down. The two crashed into the lake; thankfully it was deep enough. Goku quickly grabbed the ship and pushed it up, and floated on the surface.

Goku ripped open the door and ran inside. He didn't know where to go, but followed the aura into the main deck. Everyone was either unconscious or gasping for air. Luffy was definitely the worse one, falling underwater sapped him greatly to the point of not breathing. Goku grabbed everyone and dashed out. On the way out, he noticed a shield covering a body. He knocked it aside, and managed with one hand to move the beam. He quickly grabbed the unconscious shaman and moved out of the way of the falling rubble.

But it continued to rain debris. And the ship tilted. All of the rubble rolled downhill, and water began to come in at a fast rate. Several of the League members were finally able to move and jumped out, leaving Goku to carry the others out. He ran uphill out of the sinking ship and jumped out and landed on dry land. He gently put down the still unconscious members, and watched as the Allmacht disappeared into the blue. The man with the glasses walked up and groaned.

"Dammit." Said he after a minute. "Thanks for saving us, man." He and Goku shook hands.

"Umm, you're welcome." Said Goku. "Who…are you?"

The glasses remembered that Goku wouldn't know him. "Oh, my name is Syl. I'm the un-official leader of the Heroic League, a group of heroes and, yet to recruit, heroines traveling around the macroverse to help others in need. And that was our ship, and it's gone. Do you think you can help salvage it later? At least what is left of it?" Goku's face beamed, like a kid in a candy store on Free-Friday.

"WOW! I can tell just by looking around that is awesome! You got Link, Mario, Sonic, Sora, Luffy, Naruto, Yusuke, and Yoh! This guys are powerful! You're definitely working with some well-known people! How did you get these people to join you?"

"Hey, a little help here!" Syl went over to grab Yoh and take inside. "We'll talk later!"

Goku said a quick, 'oh', and grabbed the fallen Luffy and took him inside, with Syl, Mario and Yusuke taking everyone inside.

* * *

Yoh woke up with a tearing headache. The Hylian Shield protected him from most of the falling debris, but a second girder turned the shield against him. This is the first time he ever been in space, so a feeling of euphoria remained inside of him. Thankfully a dizzy feeling was the only thing that remained. He rose his left arm, and noticed it was held in a cast. He looked down, and his left leg also had a cast. A crutch leaned on the bed, ready to be used.

A alluring smell wafted into his room. Grabbing his crutch, he followed his nose to the smell of pancakes and bacon. Chi-Chi worked hard to make breakfast for ten (She made a habitat of eating before she made meals) and everyone was present, eating at three tables. The big eaters (Luffy and Goku for instance) were given big proportions, but only one. Chichi saw Yoh and invited him to sit down and have some food. As he sat down, Goku and Syl were talking.

"Sorry, I haven't seen anybody wearing a black hood around." Goku said.

"Yet. He's following us. You may want to tell your friends to keep a eye out." Syl said.

"Anything specific?"

"There are four hood. One adult man, one adult woman, and two teens. The woman is working with a teen; they're the good guys, at least I think, so far they helped us at a critical point."

"You think?"

"They wearing the same kind of hoods. The man and the teen aren't working together, but both of them have the same agenda."

"But not working together?"

"As far as we know, no. Every detail we picked up isn't really a detail. We haven't spent any quality-time together; any of the hoods. These guys have serious powers, and it shows. The evil teen is the main threat right now, he dealt with him more times than we want to. We didn't meet him in the last world, but I have the feeling he is going to be present some time soon. Maybe he's on this very world, plotting to find some way to mess with us!"

"Huh."

"We're headless chickens. So, what are you up to?"

"Oh! Tonight, I'm going to catch a thief. Would you like to help?"

"Oh, yeah! But about joining the League…"

"NO." Chi-Chi stood in between the two. "Goku, I thought you were done with the hero business."

"But about the hoods?" Goku stood up to. "They could come after you, Gohan, Pan…"

"Yes. Yes, I know." Chi-Chi sighed. "But they aren't here. Besides, you're Son Goku, the strongest man in the cosmos. You can just flick the hoods back where they belong with your pinky. I bet Krillin could handle them without any trouble."

Krillin, carrying Marron's shopping bags, stopped.

"You don't need to get involved in something that doesn't concern you. I understand you want to help, but you're done. You're forty years old! That's a little old to be fighting powerful bad guys, don't you think?"

"But Saiyans are kinda of immortal…"

"YOU GET THE POINT." Goku stopped. He saw her hand near the frying pan. Syl stood up.

"Listen, I understand you want him to be safe, but isn't that his decision?" Syl said.

"What? Hey, he can't make very good decisions without killing himself or endangering others! I have to help the man I married!"

"And yet your advice doesn't work!"

"And you want to throw him on the front lines!" Syl and Chi-Chi got into each other's faces. Not literally though, but by voices and anger.

"He's a hero!"

"He retired! Frieza and Cell are dead and Buu is living peacefully! There is no reason to fight a needless fight!"

"Well, he likes the idea! How about letting him do what he wants!"

"Were you listening to what I just said a minute ago?"

"Same to you!"

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?"

"WHO DO YOU THINK?"

"ME? YOU HAVE PROBLEMS!"

"EVERYBODY DOES! YOU HAVE SOME SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH YOUNG PEOPLE!"

"EXCUSE ME?"

"ENOUGH!" Link got in between the two. "Syl! Calm down! Mrs. Son! Please ignore him!" Link pushed Syl away out of the room. Goku walked behind Chi-Chi and began to massage her shoulders; the only way to calm her down. She sat down in an empty chair and sighed. Goku had the 'magic fingers'; years of martial arts training given Goku special control on pressure points. Chi-Chi slumped down.

Yoh grabbed a strip of bacon and started to eat.

* * *

Syl disappeared after a talk with Link. He walked out of the house; nothing said.

The rain had finally stopped. After breakfast, Goku lead Yusuke, Link, and Naruto into the lake, and after two hours, bought it out of the lake. It took a whole hour to drain all the water out. Thankfully nothing serious drowned, only the food. (This made Luffy cry) Everybody joined in to fix the ship. Vegeta and Bulma arrived fifteen minutes later. Vegeta wasn't too happy to be here.

"Why am I here?" The prince asked with gritted teeth. "I thought we were just dropping off an engine for this…" He looked at the Gummi Ship. "…toy."

"I need your help. The parts we need to exchange are too heavy for any of us. Consider this as training." Bulma pulled out several capsules, releasing various metal parts.

"I could carry all at once. That's not training. I could pick the ship up and that's only half the training!" Vegeta held the ship up with one hand. Bulma smiled.

"Good. Hold that. Okay, Goku!" Goku grabbed a huge elbow pipe and walked over near Vegeta. Link opened a hatch underneath the engine room, removed the old destroyed pipe and together he and Goku attached the new part. Yusuke tossed a metal plate to Luffy; to which he bolted on. Luffy stretched down and hoisted Mario up to the top if ship. Mario screwed in a special window to replace the turret's window. Goku and Mario together applied…

"BULMA!" Yelled Vegeta. "WHY YOU LITTLE…"

"Hey! You wanted to lift the ship, and you did just that." Bulma threw another capsule, and a floating dolly came out. Yoh, despite Link telling him not to help, helped load the dolly with small parts; like tools, gears, and knick-knacks that don't need a description. Yoh pushed the dolly with one hand and Yusuke began to hand them out. Link pushed Yoh back into the house, telling him to get rest. Yoh shrugged.

An alarm clock went off. Goku got up from the under the ship and grabbed a bag that Chi-Chi left him.

"Hey, where are you going?" Asked Sonic.

"Recon! I'm going to catch a super thief! Want to come?"

"Sure!" Sonic threw his hammer and it landed on Mario's head. Sora also joined.

Chi-Chi bought sandwiches and some good old lemonade out for everyone. She didn't agree with Goku leaving, but she wanted to help the League. Everyone only got one sandwich to conserve. (This made Luffy cry) The Allmacht repair neared full completion, another half-hour would have sufficed.

"So, what about this super-thief?" Asked Yusuke. Chichi explained the 'The Wind'.

"Well, the Wind wouldn't last the night. Sonic and Sora work fine together." Said Yusuke, finishing his sandwich.

"And the reward shall be ours!" Chi-Chi smiled a wicked smile. "Goku won't have to a get a job (For a while), and I can afford some better furniture!" She sat down in a lawn chair, which broke, and she landed on the grass hard. "And that's the first thing I'm going to buy is a patio with a full set!"

"That's…greedy." Commented Yoh, who then got pushed back inside by Link. Chi-Chi shrugged.

* * *

The Southern City Atlantis Museum got placed in the Top Ten Greatest Attractions In The World by the Helios Monthly. Containing various artifacts found under the sea, it also contained a small aquarium, but everyone cared about the remains of the sunken S.S. Alexandros and the remains of a supposed Atlantis. Actually, Pan enjoyed the manatees more than the sunken ship.

Goku silently flew around the museum, paying attention to anyone sneaking around. Sonic and Sora spied inside using some Capsule Binoculars, watching the guards to see if the thing is an insurance scam. Nobody came around, and the guards all acted normal. Save for one obese guard for stole the box of doughnuts and then ran out into the bushes.

Night rolled in. The three were still hiding in the bushes. Sora took a bite of a chocolate doughnut and sneaked around to the other side of the building. He held his Keyblade with one hand on his shoulder, and the doughnut in another. He looked inside and became amazed at the museum's grand prize, the Pure-Blue Emerald, a giant emerald in-bedded within a shiny blue rock. The good news is the thing is too heavy for any one man to lift.

A quick gust of wind swept past Sora. He turned around fast, looking for anything. Nothing. Sora made a quick decision and decided to go back and check in. He quietly ran and hopped over the bush. Goku and Sonic remained looking, with Goku helping himself to more doughnuts.

"Sonic, did you run around just now?" Sora asked.

"…No…" Everybody looked at each other.

The Wind struck again.

* * *

Now for a little background on The Wind. He had lived a boring middle-class life. Wake up, get ready, got to work, go home, and got to bed. He got so bored, that he killed his boss and managed to break open the safe. All without being noticed by anyone or the cameras. He got the rush, and that became his job. He kept a low profile, hiding away in the sewers. All the things he stole he pawned for very low prices.

The rush was the one thing that kept him alive.

His slim body could fit in places no kids could. The clothes he wore were pitch-black, and the dead of night produced shadows so deep that even bats could get lost in. He only stole the things that had no cameras on it and could be carried off without slowing him down. A special sleeping mist he developed by himself made his work easier when the guards didn't bother him.

He smiled; the cameras were placed rather lazily, he counted at least ten blind spots in one hall alone. He walked very casually through the blind spots, and zipped through the camera's line of sight. He accessed the air vent, bolting it back. He followed the map of the museum he got today, a thing he had was to visit the museum the noon before he robbed it.

The target came into sight. The Timaeus Brace, an arm bracelet with a small blue crystal in it. Every professional who took a look at it deemed it as a regular every-day item that a low-class would wear. It got the price of only five thousand, so the museum could afford its loss. The Wind thought it was cool, so into the bag it went.

Then a hook by a blue blur knocked him into the hull of the Alexandros. The Brace slid under the ship.

The Wind shook his head to see a blue hedgehog wearing gloves and shoes, a kid holding a huge key, and a man wearing a orange ki and a impossible hairdo. He wasn't the kind to use drugs, but…

He bolted into the ship. Sonic sighed, and a second hook knocked him into the lower deck. He got back up and hid behind a fake barrel, holding his breath. The Brace lay right next to him, and he grabbed it. Goku found him second later, and promptly kicked the Wind across the deck into the dark. He hid behind another barrel, knowing he would be tormented a minute later.

The gem on the brace shined a lime-green light. The Wind didn't care the light's color was different, he placed it underneath under his clothes, accidentally on his left arm. He yelped as it clamped down hard, and he disappeared into thin air. Goku tipped over the barrel and found nothing. He investigated around, and found nothing that could be used for a quick escape.

"How did he get away?" Sonic asked. He went all over the museum and there was no way the Wind could escape. The windows were closed, save for one all of them used to get in. Sora checked the cameras, in case the Wind got careless. Goku's senses couldn't find anyone beside the sleeping guards. The three met back on the ship.

"This guy is tricky. No wonder why no one could get him." Goku scratched his head.

"He'll be back. We got two days to prepare." Sora put away his Keyblade and grabbed a glazed donut. "So let's go back and prepare. We're going to need the others for this."

"Yeah." Said Sonic after a doughnut hole.

Goku nodded and flew everyone home.

The Wind watched them fly off, dumbstruck. He felt weird. He looked at his arm, and the Brace remained clutched. He tried to pull it off, but all that happened was him losing his balance and rolling down the hill. He got up into the air and landed on some rocks. To him, he felt nothing. He looked down and yelled.

His body had turned invisible. He felt light and was actually floating.

He literally became The Wind.

* * *

Chi-Chi quietly drank her tea while listening to Goku's story. It had turned four in the morning when Goku landed. She wasn't that mad, this guy had evaded capture before, so Goku could take this as practice for next time. She nodded and went with the story, listening to every detail. After the story, she spoke.

"Right. Next time, bring everyone with you. Including that rude man with the glasses." She placed her dishes into the sink for cleaning.

"Syl." Yoh said. Link pushed back him back into his room. Yoh at this point gave up struggling at this point.

"Whatever. He has problems. What's his story?"

"We don't know." Mario said. He and Link were the only ones up. "He wants to tell everyone at once."

"I wager a guess it's clichéd. Probably his father left him and mother died, leaving him homeless, and blah, blah, blah. He's just venting."

"He never acted like this before. I don't know what got into him." Link said. He wasn't tired, he spent all night training on his own. Everyone else also trained for a bit (Yoh managed to get some push-ups in before Link interfered) but Link trained a bit longer, he just couldn't sleep.

"But enough about him. The Wind got away with his prize, so you need to find the next target." Chi-Chi pulled out a guide book of museums. "That's the seven theft. I marked the ones he has hit. Get to work!" The awake heroes looked at her with a look of anger and drowsiness.

"But first, get some sleep. You too, Link!" Chi-Chi pushed…

…geez, there is a lot of pushing around here.

…Link to his room. The others followed, save for Goku. "Ugh…Goku? There's something you need?

"These guys…I like them!"

"Goku! You don't mean…"

"Yep! I would like to travel with them and explore!"

"GOKU!"

"Sorry, Chi-Chi! I feel like working alongside with the others!"

"ARGH! You can't! There is no need to!"

And so Goku and Chi-Chi argued the rest of the night. Goku never really argued, just talked and tried to convince Chi-Chi. Any normal person knows that trying to talk to Chi-Chi and make her do something she doesn't normally do is impossible, but Goku was the farthest thing from a normal person.

The Wind watched. It was hard to believe that a actual superman almost lived a normal life. A wife, a house, and some kids. (He noticed the pictures) But while listening in, he realized that there were SEVEN more people like the three back in the museum. If one could send them flying around, ten could knock him out of the stratosphere.

He currently remained in wind form. It was weird, and he had on a endless surprised look on his face. He couldn't get rid of it. The Brace had given him supernatural powers just about a hour ago; he had some control, but not complete full control. He was invisible to the naked eye of everyone. That was all he could manage for now.

The Wind decided to go to his home and rest. Though he still remained in shock, he needed time to practice his new powers. He decided to practice flying, but only managed levitation. He shrugged and moved forward to home.

But a huge smile and a idea appeared.

Everyone needed air…

* * *

Syl appeared the next day with a huge wad of cash in his hands. He didn't say hi or anything, just walked past everyone to the couch and promptly went to sleep. Chi-Chi walked over and bought down her frying pan on top of his head. This woke Syl up and knocked his head into the cushions. Syl yanked his head out and fixed his cap before speaking.

"What was that for!" He asked. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"Maybe. Where did you get that many Zeni?" She asked, grabbing it. Syl tried to grab it back, but just fell off the couch and onto his face.

"Fighting random monsters. What else?"

"Not this much! I ask again, where?"

"…I sold the loot."

"What loot?"

"The Wind's loot. I found his lair, and sold the loot off to a pawn shop."

Chi-Chi dropped her frying pan in shock. "You sold…the stolen museum property? Not back to the museum, but to some scummy pawn shop? Why?"

Syl shrugged.

Chi-Chi stood here, paralyzed. That lasted all for a minute. She grabbed her pan and swung as hard as she could. Syl rolled to the left of the attack; his hat flying off. Chi-Chi took more swings, but none came close. She threw the pan, but all it did was break a vase, alerting the others to watch. Now remember, Chi-Chi is a martial artist, a much better one than Syl, so this proved to be more effective. Syl had a harder time dodging, but it was him mostly getting beaten up. Chi-Chi grabbed him by the scruff of his green shirt and threw him into the wall.

Goku walked over carefully to calm her down, but stepped back when Syl got back on his feet. His look was that of rage of the past.

"PISS OFF, MOM!" He yelled, with a straight hook to Chi-Chi's face. She rolled into the wall, with a small tinkle of blood coming out of her mouth.

The anger on Syl's face disappeared as he saw the blood. He looked at his team mates; who were shocked, and then bolted out a open window. The sword and hat he kept on him at all times were left behind. Goku ran over to his wife and picked her up and put her on the couch. Sonic raced outside to find Syl, but he somehow vanished. He checked the ship, but he wasn't there either.

"Syl…what the hell were you thinking?" Yoh asked to the sky.

* * *

The Wind wanted his revenge even more now.

His lair had been looted by one of the 'heroes.' There had been a room reserved for his treasures and now nothing remained inside.

But he put that aside. If he could master his powers, he could steal anything. Stuff like statues, pure gold bars, a entire vault! No security system could stop him. No guard could hold him back. He didn't need to steal at night, he could steal at whatever time he felt like! All the world's treasures rested within his hands; held tightly.

But first, to practice.

Being the sewers, there were plenty of rats around. The Wind never bothered with them, so they never bothered him. They grew brave, and ran around freely until he came home. He had caught a few to use for experimentation on his sleeping-mist, and despite not being fed, were still alive.

He grabbed one, the one marked 'Alpha', and put it inside a bowl that no rat could scurry out of. It smelled some old food, and it moved as fast as it sick body could move other to the crumbs. It picked away as the Wind transmuted his hand into air. His arm looked like the hand had been cut clean off, in an almost cartoonish style. He slowly crept his hand towards the rat, obvious.

The hand closed around the rat's body. It became a vacuum to which the Wind began to suck out the air out of the rat's body, killing it in a manner of seconds. The blue rat fell back into the bowl, bringing in more rats, smelling fresh food. The Wind placed the bowl high up than the rats could climb, getting them into a group.

Now his whole arms became air and extended the vacuum to the whole group, killing them all. His arms came back to him, normal. He wasn't the kind to laugh, but he couldn't help himself. His laugh echoed throughout the many halls of the sewers. He continued to laugh until he coughed a little. His wind powers needed time to develop, he didn't want to choke himself.

Training was going to be fun. But he needed more rats.

* * *

Syl didn't really care about his hat and sword; rather more about the wrath of Goku and the others.

He leapt over a small hill and ran into the cave that was underneath. He knew it was a stupid idea, knowing full well that Goku could find him. So he ran out into the desert area where Goku and Vegeta first fought years ago and stopped to catch his breath. His low stamina wasn't going to help him in the slightest.

So he decided to walk for a bit. He calmed down and thought over what he did.

He PUNCHED GOKU'S WIFE, CHI-CHI. That unnerved him. A chill ran down his spine. Goku would kill him.

It was a hour later that he made it to a small forest area. He realized that he ran off at least a hundred miles away from his ship…

…THEIR ship. He shook his head, realizing that he was making himself the glory-hog, the Gary-Stu, the only main character. The thing that made him cringe.

He didn't want to be hated. He wanted to be loved.

There it goes again. Wanting things to come. He needed to earn it.

And THAT is going to be hard after he PUNCHED GOKU'S WIFE, CHI-CHI.

He now entered the Arctic…woah.

Too far! Too far!

Syl hated the cold. Growing up in a hot environment (To which the winter could reach 70 F) didn't make him a fan of the cold. Sure, like anyone, he liked mild weather and grey skies (It put him in a poetic mood) but after of at least four years of standing outside waiting for a bus at 7:00 A.M., with winds at over 30 MPH, didn't help. He ran out with his ass frozen.

And now he was in a town.

The world of DBZ is weird, isn't it?

People looked at the icicles frozen on his chin. He brushed them off and went to a sandwich stand and got a turkey sandwich and began to ate it, of course.

Walking calmed him down. He usually ran outside whenever he got over emotional, he ran outside to think over things and get a clear head. It usually took 15 minutes, but sometimes it took longer, depending on what the situation or the person. This time wasn't so pleasant. All that came up inside his head was the past. A past he accepted, but just couldn't get rid of it.

His fist balled. He just saw a mother yelling at a young child for not a good reason. All the kid did was wander a foot off. He felt like running over and socking her, but the image of his recent socking stopped him. The lady then slapped the kid, and Syl stepped forward.

A gloved hand stopped him. It was the young man cloak who saved him back on Naruto's world.

"That's…not smart." The cloak said. He was enjoying a chocolate ice cream cone. He had another one in his hand, a vanilla. He motioned to a building with the cone. Syl loosed his fist and followed. The hood didn't give the cone until he and Syl were on the roof. They laid their backs on the block of concrete that was the staircase.

"So…I hadn't a really good time to thank you for saving me…and now for the ice cream."

"…thank you!"

"No need to thank me. That's my new job."

"What was your old job?"

"…I can't tell you. You'll figure out who I am. My identity must remain a secret for now."

"Ah."

The two finished the cones in silence. They stood there, enjoying the view.

"Nice view?" The hood asked.

"A weird reward for hitting the wife of a famous hero." Syl would've hid his face under his cap, but he didn't have his cap.

"Well…you are going to lose your powers for a day."

Syl snapped his fingers. Just sound came out, no blue sparks. He tried to surge though his hands , but nothing came out. He didn't care at this time the lost of his powers, he cared HOW he lost his powers.

"How…"

"Our boss wants you to be in a certain place at a certain time."

"That's creepy." Syl tried to tighten his muscles, but the hood's muscles flex tighter. So Syl's head turned around.

"Yeah. But you're special…"

"Thank you."

"…and my employer wants you and your friends to help her."

"Her?"

"…crap."

"Heh. Wait, why is that important?"

"She wants to remain in the shadows."

"But why? Why me? Why my League, why my friends…no. I guess I can't call them my friends after this."

"You worry way too much."

"…that's me."

"I can't explain it all now, but you, you and your League are a part of a giant puzzle being put together by the main evil hood, the one who's currently working behind the scenes on nearly every event that has befallen you. He doesn't really care about your League, rather if you're planning on getting in his way again."

"Getting in the way of what?"

"…we don't know. That's what my partner and I have following him."

"But…you're not."

"We decided to ask you for help."

"So much for the mystery."

"Off-books. We just need you to distract the evil hood while we figure out what he is after."

"…I have too many questions to ask. Fine, but I except answers to every question that I ask, or my friends ask."

"Done. Also…our employer is the reason why no one had left."

"Excuse me?"

"She made sure that you don't have to go at it alone." And with that, he flashed in a body of light.

Syl looked around. felt like he just talked to a ghost. Syl tried to use his powers again. No dice. Sighing, he decided that the best course of action was to apologize. He felt at ease now. Even though he now is completely aware that there are people watching him and stalking him. He shrugged. Now he began to walk back to the ship, ready for any punishment ready to be dished out.

* * *

Chi-Chi woke up with the concerned face of Goku as her first look. She groaned, and felt a cold sensation on her forehead. She looked at Goku, and noticed that his right arm had extended to area of the chill, so he actually got her a ice-pack. Or, one of the League got one and gave it to Goku. His frown turned upside down when she muttered something.

"Hey! She's awake! She's awake, everybody!" The League came close, but not too close.

"Where's that…"

"He's long gone. He hasn't returned since." Link bought over a bowl of Chi-Chi's favorite soup (The one flavor that had been stocked the most, Chicken Broth & Tomato). She took the spoon and took a small sip. "And you haven't followed him?" She asked.

"…I had this feeling we shouldn't." Goku said solemnly.

"…I see." Chi-Chi felt something come over her after Goku spoke.

The employer of the two good hoods was cleaning up after Syl's mess. This won't be the first time.

"So what are you are guys going to do about the Wind?" She asked.

"We still have a day to train." Yusuke said. "And boy, are we going to train!"

"Yeah, no way that The Wind is going to pull a fast one!" Yoh said before he walked himself back to his room before Link got up.

"And I think I found the next target." Said Sora. "The Mines, a museum completely underground with priceless minerals left where they're found. There should be plenty of stuff for him to steal. I'm getting in contact with security team to give us access to the place."

"How did you manage that?" Asked Yusuke. Yoh looked nervous.

"…I promised them the reward money?" Chi-Chi recovered fast.

She picked up the Keyblader and threw him to the floor. "YOU PROMISED THEM THE REWARD?"

"We needed to get in! We needed to get in!" Sora choked a bit before Chi-Chi let go.

"That was supposed to go to us! Goku doesn't have a job…"

"My farm kinda failed…" Goku said meekly.

"Failed? It DIED." Chi-Chi pointed to the pot of a healthy turnip. "That's the only survivor, and he's on his last legs." Sora attempted to crawl away, but had his leg trapped under the shoe of Chi-Chi. She bent down and dragged him back to her. She didn't choke him, but rather held him in a arm and neck hold. Sora summoned his Keyblade to escape, but Chi-Chi just grabbed his other arm and held it back.

"I didn't promise them ALL of the money! Just a cut!" Chi-Chi wasn't that greedy. Just as long he didn't promise ALL of it, it was fine. She let him go. Sora ran outside to start training, with others in tow. Chi-Chi laid back on the couch and put the ice pack back on her forehead and decided to go back to sleep.

A gust of wind came in through the open window. And the forecast said nothing about wind for today.

* * *

Yoh couldn't sleep. Despite him being very lazy, he WAS so energized! Here he was, hanging around the greatest heroes of all time, traveling with them, fighting alongside them! And yet, he was confined to a bed, as if he was being asked to be lazy. To make matters worse, it was Goku's world, and yet, the villain was a thief. A good thief, but not the kind of villain that Goku would fight! Where was the aliens? The androids? The ancient evil?

He sighed. So he decided to do some exercises in his room. Link was outside, so unless he had physic powers, he could exercise in peace. He could only stretch, but it was better than nothing. He could actually feel Anna back home telling him to get off his lazy ass and do some stretches. Some magic from Sora made the healing process go faster, so the cast should come off in about two days, and he should be back in action in four days.

A weird noise came the living room. He thought that is was someone that almost knocked something over. But a weird feeling came over him, and he decided to investigate. Grabbing his crutch, he opened his door and went out. It had turned night, so Yoh had to stumble around for the light switch. He flicked it, but nothing came on. He flicked it a couple more times, nothing.

Something was wrong. He withdrew his sword (He hid it under his clothes, and for reason, Link didn't take it.) and held it tight as he walked into the living room. Many shadows covered the room, showing that several things had been knocked over. Yoh bent down and hid within the darkness and crawled around, searching for the intruder.

The couch showed tears, and no one else. Chi-Chi had been kidnapped in her home.

Yoh got up as quick as he could and hobbled outside. The others were still training, unaware of what just happened. Link sighed as he saw Yoh, but that changed when he saw the sword and Yoh's panicked look. The others also stopped training when they saw Yoh. Naruto was the first to ask.

"Yoh? What?"

"Chi-Chi has been kidnapped! Don't tell me that none of you didn't see anything!" Yoh tried to run, but a leg injury makes that hard; he tripped right at Yoh's feet.

"No! How's that possible?" Naruto spoke again. He looked around, in case he missed anything.

Sonic did a quick search. "He's right! She's gone!" He said.

Goku try to find her, but she was too far away. However, he felt something. He checked his pocket, and found a note. It obviously wasn't there before, and it wasn't there a minute ago. The paper was both moldy and smelly. It took some effort, but Goku managed to open it without it breaking it.

_Dear Son Goku and friends,_

_ You beat me. You stole from me. You went against ME, The Wind, the greatest criminal mastermind that shall be known throughout today, tomorrow and all that shall be. You decide to ruin that. So, I shall undo what I've done to me upon you. Your time of ruin is upon you._

"That's just silly." Luffy commented.

"Normally, I wouldn't agree, but this guy thinks he can take us. Yeah, this is silly." Naruto added.

"Can I finish?" Goku asked. Naruto and Luffy became quiet. Goku continued.

_ Your wife is now my prize for raiding your house. Normally, I don't do offers, but I'm willing to return your wife, but every trade must have a equal offering. My treasures make one half, all of you make the other. I want to fight you all. I'll go for the kill, so I recommend you too. You know where to find me. I watched you find my next target, and you chose right. Chi-Chi shall be in good hands, lest you make me play my ace._

_ ~The Wind_

Goku crumbled the note. It fell apart and the shreds fell into the wind.

* * *

One of the best things about a aquarium? It's nice and cool. The perfect kind. Even during the winter it still is a great place to hang around.

So The Mines was a good substitute. No cute penguins or epic whales, but at least twenty tunnels with different gems and other shiny things left the way they were found. There was some of the museum above ground, but it was mostly the entrance, exit, gift shops, kid's area, food court and theatre.

And the first question you ask is, _why didn't anyone mine the gems?_

The answer is this. The gems were stuck.

The Wind had modified his look. He got rid of his black outfit and replaced with regal clothes with a color scheme of green, grey and yellow. He draped his grey cape over his left arm whenever he walked. His hair had became white and flowing, affected by the brace. He moved around like a storm trooper, taking each step like he carefully examining everyone and everything.

And Chi-Chi was starting to get tired of this fast.

Both of them were in the food court. The Wind blew away all of the chairs into the corner, save for the one he tied Chi-Chi to.

"Listen, you just made the last mistake of your poor little life. Goku and the others will come, and won't lose to you, of all people! Do you know what he has beaten before?" She struggled, but the Wind just tipped her over. She tried to crawl away, but the Wind just lightly stepped on her.

"I know. You think that I accept that the so-called 'Champ' actually managed to beat two beings whom could destroy the planet on a whim. I do not. I never had. I just shook my head and watched the old footage. I believe the golden warrior is your husband."

Chi-Chi hid her amazement. True, he was right about her husband, but the cameras were off when Gohan killed Cell.

The Wind was a smart one, and caught on to her hidden surprise. He smiled.

The doors could be heard opening up. Nine people, lead by a tall man with crazy hair walked into the court.

"Son Goku. The night has been nice to your friends." He opens his arms out as to welcome; the cape remained draped over his arm. Goku didn't return the thanks, just waited for the negotiations to begin. The Wind took notice, and, with his powers, pulled up eleven chairs. However, he pushed one back after he realized there was only nine League members.

"There someone not among your ranks at this moment. Where is he?" He asked.

"…He's far from important." Goku said.

"He's the weakest." Added Naruto.

The Wind snorted. He decided to ignore the missing member and get down into business.

"You can tell at this time that I developed new abilities." The Wind demonstrated by lifting several other chairs and left them hovering above the League. The Wind pulled down his sleeve, revealing the glowing brace. "The Timaeus Brace made me a air elemental. In layman terms, I control the air, and also become air if needed. Therefore, I have the upper hand."

"We fought worse." Luffy added very seriously. "In your terms, I fought a earth elemental, and a wind elemental. And my older brother is a fire elemental also!"

"Doesn't matter. I overpower any previous elemental. My ability directly makes me a giver of death…and possibly life." His hand disappeared, turning into wind. A foggy hand took the hand's place, and it reached over to Chi-Chi.

Goku stood up. "Wait! What about the deal?"

The Wind sat down. "I guess that would be unfair on my behalf to remove my part of the deal. But I don't see the treasure or anything worth of value nearby. Unless your pockets are very deep, where is my treasure?"

Link withdrew several pawn tickets. "Our…previous comrade sold them to a pawn shop. These tickets will pick them up, all of you just have to pick them up."

The Wind growled. Something a bit rare for him now. He still levitated the tickets over to him and turned them into air, making it easier to carry around. He then sent Chi-Chi over to the exit, and untied her. The doors clicked open. Goku gave her a look, telling her to go home for now. She ran outside, to be far away from the manic.

The Wind stood up, cape still draped. "Now, for the retaliation. Be careful, your life are now worthless."

And he became air. At a instant, the density of the air became very heavy, causing everyone have to breathing problems. The League, stood up and ran out of the food court to escape, but the heavy air followed them. The League struggled not only for air, but to move.

"Head below or die." Said the disembodied voice of the Wind.

The air got a little less heavy, so it became possible to run again. So all nine (Yoh ditched the crutch and casts, but now is completely sore and practically limping everywhere) ran down the stairs, tripping on their way down into the dark corridors of the museum, where the Wind had plans for each one of them, to pick them off one at a time.

* * *

Vegeta grumbled. Like always.

He sensed Chi-Chi a while back and watched the whole thing transpire. He shook his head. Goku had defeated some VERY powerful people before, so why was one loser holding him down? This Wind character had a unusual aura around him; nothing Vegeta had seen before. But that doesn't mean the universe's strongest warrior couldn't beat him!

He decided to go inside and take care of the Wind and kick Goku's ass around for a bit. So he sprang off the building next to the museum…

…and got held in mid-air.

He struggled around, but felt choked. The invisible hand re-appeared, along with its body. The Wind looked at Vegeta, smiled and choked him into falling unconscious.

"…you're in my way." The Wind said before going back inside.

* * *

After that pointless interlude, the League had separated from other, going down different passageways.

Goku kept a check on how everyone was doing. If one got into trouble, he'll use instant transmission to rescue him and defeat the Wind. Luffy and Mario were together, Sora was still running, Naruto summoned some clones to throw the Wind off track, Yusuke and Link took the more careful approach; sneaking around the corners and such, Sonic sped down each hallway, and Yoh decided to hide in the security room.

Goku had to make sure that the Wind didn't get the drop on him. Because he could become the air itself, nowhere is safe. Goku stayed on the ground for safety.

The chilly air relaxed him, but it still left him unnerved. There was a flashlight left on a guard chair, but Goku ignored it, not wanting to give himself away, but he decided to take it with him anyway.

A '_clank_' came from behind the Emerald Hallway. Goku's sixth sense told him not to investigate, but he went against his feelings and look into it. His senses detected that Mario and Sonic were also coming down the same hall, probably also investigating the same noise. The three met in the middle, and formed a tight circle to watch for incoming attacks.

But all circles never look up. A powerful jet of wind knocked them down to the floor, and it picked up; as if to bury them into the ground. Sonic managed to vibrate fast enough to escape the jet, and pull both out before the floor got torn up.

Goku couldn't sense the Wind, so he led both Sonic and Mario away. Small tornados came after them, and it wasn't easy either, the wind tried to push them back. Sonic raced down the hall and up a wall to an air vent, pulled out the fan, and turned it on manually. The fan sucked some air back, allowing Goku and Mario to break out of the wind trap.

Sora appeared and fired a Blizzard spell into the air, freezing it, showing the Wind's body. Luffy launched Mario to stomp the Wind on his head. The Wind never trained for resistance, so this knocked him out of the air, but he managed to land on his feet. Sonic and Yusuke ran at him, Yusuke attempting to grab him, but he fell though and into Sonic. The Wind just stood there, body made out of air.

Sora fired another Blizzard, but it went right though him. Yusuke went to a different angle by firing a Reibullet, but it also followed suit. There was a whole minute of air, as the heroes try to figure out how to stop him. The Wind smiled and began to walk towards the group, a tornado following him, getting bigger with every step.

Link and Naruto ran up past the group and threw a bomb and a letter bomb at the Wind, exploding it right in his face. The Wind screamed as his body warped, and he vanished.

"What happened?"Asked Goku.

"Fire." Naruto said. "If he's made up of air, which also makes him oxygen, right?"

"And fire needs oxygen to burn!" Mario's hands glowed fire-red as he held the ultimate weapon to beat the Wind. Link and Naruto passed out bombs.

"What a way to go." Sora added, as he switched Keyblades to the Bond of Flame to improve the fire spells.

The Wind played it safe, attacking from a distance with shears of wind. They cut open Luffy's arm, but the damage was minimal, a little blood loss at best. The League didn't want to risk throwing bombs to prevent a cave-in. The Wind knew this, and continued to fire shears. Now both sides were at a standstill. The shears never came close to any of the League due to the fact they never stood still and the Wind has a worse aim than Syl.

Sora tired the Blizzard trick again, but it only managed to hit the Wind's arm. He wasn't able to free his arm or turn into wind, so he skirted away. He now fired fewer shears, as his frozen arm gave him away, even in his wind form. The League followed the frozen arm into the Machine Room, where things got hectic.

The frozen arm melted due to the hot air inside, but the disadvantage was the air was too hot and heavy to use all of his powers without dissolving. So he remained in human form, hiding from the search party. He didn't need to breathe at all, so the League couldn't find him in the maze of pipes and machines.

The Wind smiled. The League were now merged into one group. Easy for good kill. He charged up a mini-storm in his left hand. It would grow into a bigger storm, and it would cause the machines to explode, taking out the League while he made his getaway. He got braver, and stepped a bit closer…

…into the fist of Vegeta.

"YOU ROTTEN LITTLE BASTARD!" He shouted as the Wind flew into a random machine and knocked it over, turning off the lights. The Wind didn't say anything, just held his head down and almost reclined in the destroyed machine. "You think I would forget you? Not a chance, bub!"

"…don't get in my way." The Wind finally spoke in what seems like a long time. Yoh almost forgot what he sounded like.

"In your way? You're in my way!" Vegeta lifted his foot and bought it down on the Wind's face, as you may have guessed, it went right though. The foot got stuck in the twisted metal. As Vegeta kicked the machine away, The Wind appeared behind him. Vegeta threw another punch, but the Wind skirted to the side. Vegeta threw a blast of ki, but all that did was cause the machine that controlled the air-conditioning to explode.

"Thanks a lot." Said a monotone Sora.

"What are you waiting for? Burn him!" Vegeta continued to punch like crazy.

Sora ran behind to hide and wait for the Wind to come to him. Luffy threw his bomb at the Wind, but it missed, exploding a nearby machine. This one made the fridges work in the food court. And now the Boulder Burgers were going to be tainted for tomorrow.

Well, it didn't matter anyway. The whole museum wasn't going to be open for a long time, due to the damage caused!

The Wind's hand came up and a volley of shears shot out, clawing into Sonic and Naruto. Not only did it draw blood, but it knocked both of them into the wall. He turned into air to avoid a sword swipe from Link, and blew him with enough force to take out Luffy. Yoh planted his letter bomb on the floor and came after the Wind, wanting to draw him to the bomb. This plan failed, as the Wind just blew the bomb up behind Yoh and tripped him with a leg sweep, on the bad leg.

Sora finally decided to step out and use Fira, and this actually managed to hurt the Wind. The warping got even more twisted, causing the roaring to become even more horrifying. The Wind ran off, choking and desperate for breath. It was becoming too much for him. One more like that and he would be dead.

Goku found him a second later and managed to grab and throw him into the wall. Goku got only one punch in before the Wind vanished. He started to choke Goku despite that the others could find him and burn him easier. But he didn't care. His plan was now completely ruined. He thought that his powers would make the deaths of the League so easy. But he couldn't kill ONE. Sure, he wasn't exactly gunning for them, but he thought that he had the advantage.

What advantage?

Goku struggled for breath, unable to stop his invisible attacker.

But that all stopped when a jet of flame tore into the Wind. Instead of being choked, he started to get sucked in, converting into pure oxygen.

Syl walked forward, hairspray and lighter in hand, still missing his sword and hat. He continued to spray, but the Wind managed to break free and go through the maze like a ghost. Syl dropped both items and got Goku on his feet. Goku spent a while catching his breath, and managed to stand up on his own.

"How did you find us?" Goku asked.

"The flicking lights, robots going mad, the smell of rancid meat. You can choose your favorite." He grabbed his two weapons and ran after the escaping villain. Goku followed, picking up a dropped bomb. The two ran into the two conscious heroes, Sora and Mario.

"Where's everyone?" Goku asked.

"He's gone nuts!" Sora gasped for air. "He's choking everyone! We managed to get away, but others weren't so lucky. Vegeta did save them, and chase the Wind into the Boiler Room." Mario downed a Mushroom to help heal some wounds. And together, the four broke down the door and entered the unusually large-spaced room.

Vegeta threw the Wind into a wall. The cape still remained draped over his arm, though tattered. A small bit of blood came out of his mouth. Vegeta flexed and rolled his arms. "Well, that was fun. It's been a while since I had a good challenge. Well, thanks and good-bye." Vegeta quickly blasted the Wind with a powerful beam of ki, but like all things, went right though.

Vegeta growled in frustration. "Dammit, when will you just give it up and except loss?"

"NEVER!" The Wind got up and just went ballistic, throwing up tornados, lifting everyone off the ground, and creating a huge sphere of shears. Everyone steered around, making sure they didn't run into the edge and being cut up.

"Dance, you bastards, dance!" The Wind stopped the offensive, the sphere being the most he could do without straining his powers.

Syl held tight on the lighter, but the hairspray fell out and got shredded into dust. Mario and Sora fired off some fireballs, but they couldn't keep a good straight aim without flying into the edge. Goku and Vegeta tried to hit him with ki blasts, but the same problem happened to them too.

"Syl? Where's your powers?" Asked Sora. Syl decided not to answer, but throw the lighter at Mario, who caught it.

"Mario! Can you use it to turn this whole thing into a huge fireball?" Syl got stuck in a torrent, and started to be sucked into the edge. His swimming skills were clumsy, but it at least kept him away from being turned into meaty chunks.

Mario nodded. He amplified the lighter to where the flame burned a light blue. He got close to the edge and lit the sphere on fire. The Wind screamed as the sphere became an inferno. The heroes were just sweating like crazy, but the Wind was being stretched throughout the entire sphere. Mario turned up the heat, causing the Wind to warp and actually began to fade away.

But he exploded the dome.

The explosion was contained in the sphere, so the boiler didn't get damaged. At least until Vegeta flew into it. Everybody landed into different corners, battered and burnt. The Wind stopped screaming only after his body finally stopped warping. His regal clothes were torn and burnt. Everyone in the building was having one hellish night.

The Wind walked in front of Goku, the only one left standing. "You. You're left. I just have to defeat you, and I walk home victorious."

"This ends now. I'm getting tired of you." Goku stood his ground. He bent his arms back.

"Ka…me…"

A glowing blue ball of energy appeared in Goku's hand. The Wind took notice and started to create a spear.

"HA…ME…"

The spear formed. The Wind aimed for the chest.

"HA!"

As the spear and the Kamehameha launched, the Wind turned into air. Goku stood his ground, even when the spear pierced his shoulder. His plan worked. The Kamehameha hit the boiler, and it exploded. The huge blast filled the air, and the Wind got sucked in to create the oxygen needed. Goku fell to his side, injured.

But the blast never reached him. A dome of blue energy protected him, as well as the others. Syl held his arms far from his sides as the dome withstood the shrapnel and the fire. When it ended. Syl put his arms down fast, and the field dissipated.

"Why didn't you do that before?" Asked Sora.

"It wasn't midnight?" Syl added meekly.

* * *

So The Wind was defeated. Or rather, killed, as his whole body became fire and got burned. There wasn't even a scrap of his clothes left. The pawn tickets thankfully fell out his pocket during the fight in the hallway, before the first bomb exploded in his face. Luffy recovered them and turned it in to the victims of the Wind's thefts. The reward was lessened, but Chi-Chi was happy to get some money.

Even after the guard's fee.

The Mines had to close for a month, due to…well, what do YOU think?

So Syl and Chi-Chi got to work on applying bandages to everyone. The worst that happened was that Luffy's arm got opened up, but everyone just had some minor cuts and some breathing problems. Chi-Chi kissed Goku on his forehead as she placed as she wrapped up his shoulder. Syl put his hat back on, but took off his green shirt to prevent spills.

"Hey, Chi-Chi…'bout earlier…I'm deeply sorry." Syl spoke to her when they finished.

"Apology accepted. I think I understand where you're coming from." Chi-Chi rubbed her sore area. The one caused by the Wind, not Syl.

"I'm REALLY sorry. I just have some serious mom problems." Syl put on his green shirt and placed his sword in his belt loop. He now was back to normal.

"I can tell. Just don't do that again." Chi-Chi patted her frying-pan, as if to say, 'mess with me, and get owned.' Syl got that look a lot back home. He nodded and smiled to hide his fear. The two shook hands, and sat down on the two beds that used to be Gohan and Gotan's room. Syl scratched his head and sighed.

"Chi-Chi, in order to make it up to you, I'll tell you my past." He laid his back on the wall.

"I thought you were saving it once you complete the League."

"It's best to practice first."

So the next hour was Syl telling his story.

After the hour…

"…I'll see." Chi-Chi had made some tea in between and she sipped it, taking the story in.

"So I stayed for one more day, and left for Hyrule. And the rest is going to be history." Syl still was laying his back to the wall.

"And that's why you doing all of this."

"Correct. It's also fun to re-live my childhood." Syl laughed, but it was a hollow one. "I do enjoy my adventures, but now I have to listen to some unknown force that pulls way too many strings. It helps, but I don't want to get anyone hurt by my negligence."

"You're worried about people who you just met for barely a day." Chi-Chi pointed out.

"But they're people. Like I said, I'm not important." Syl sighed.

"Don't put yourself down like that. You ARE important."

"Prove it."

"Well…you have special powers…"

"They're not that great…"

"…you're exploring new worlds…"

"So have the others."

"…and you lead a group of nine other people."

"Yeah, who barely know/trust me…wait wait wait." Syl stood up. "Did you…say NINE people?"

Chi-Chi smiled. "I think that you could use some help. Goku definitely can get you through some tough parts." She walked out, leaving Syl to his thoughts.

And Syl smiled, but he contained his joy. He didn't want to disturb Vegeta in the next room.

* * *

"Wow!" Goku said to Chi-Chi has he walked out with his bag. "You're actually letting me go with them?"

"For now. I expect you to come back alive and well!" Chi-Chi said. Goku gave a 'whoop'.

"Well, see-ya in a bit!" He kissed her on the cheek and ran into the Allmacht.

"All right!" Syl shouted! "Is everything functional?"

"Aye!" Shouted Sora back.

"And the fridge is stocked!" Said Luffy.

"That was the only thing you only cared for!" Mario replied back.

"Whatever! LET'S GO!" Syl threw the shaft into drive and the ship lifted off, and out into space.

A formless body watched.

"No matter how many times I've been in space, IT still makes me excited!" Goku watched his world flicker out of sight. Mario nodded in agreement. Goku then walked over to Syl to ask obvious question. "Hey…" Syl held his hand up to stop him

"The next world? Why, Jigoku-Chikyuu, home of carrot-top."

"You mean Ichigo." Naruto asked.

"Yep!"

The Allmacht shot forward to the next destination, the world of Bleach.

With an old somebody following close by.

* * *

_END EPIC 10._

_COMING SOON: EPIC 11: THE SUBSITTUE REAPER. _

_Done! Not much to say, but please review. Tell your friends, spread the word._

_You know the drill. I own nothing besides Syl, hoods, and the one-bit villains._


	12. The Substitute Reaper

HEROIC LEAGUE EPIC 11: THE SUBSITTUE REAPER

**Theme Song: Traveling Far From The Past by Sylvin Wallace**

_I know what it is like,_

_To live alone._

_Family gone for good, and friends too._

_But, yet, I'm…_

_READY TO START MY NEW LIFE!_

_The door is open,_

_I'm ready to go!_

_A brand new day is waiting…_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together, we shall…_

…_push forward!_

_Our pasts live inside of us,_

_But they're more like nightmares._

_But yet,_

_We can't forget…_

…_the place we come from._

_Even if we can't go there again!_

_The gateway is ajar,_

_And we're off!_

_Tomorrow is coming,_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together we shall…_

…_fly far!_

_Yesterday…_

_All my troubles came on that day…_

_They're here to stay…_

_..but..._

_I must remember one thing…_

_Never forget…_

…_never forgive._

_The path is ready,_

_And off we go!_

_Next day is just around the corner,_

_But I don't care!_

_Just me and my friends…_

…_go on!_

_

* * *

_

_I'm starting to run out of things to say in the intro and the outro. I guess there isn't much for me to say._

_One thing I SHOULD say is 'people, I need reviews. I need to how I'm doing.' _

_Like always, I don't own most characters. Just the obvious ones._

In order to prevent people from being spooked by the sight of a giant spaceship, they had to land in the deepest and thickest part of the woods. Sora finally remembered where the cloaking button was and activated it, leading to at least twelve people to run into the invisible ship. Syl set up a camera to watch them later. And the first one was Luffy, as a test.

Karakura Town lay just ahead only a mile away. When they entered, they ran into a familiar face, Chad. He currently was buying groceries, and held all the bags in one hand. He waved with his other hand as the group approached.

"Hey, guys." He said we they all approached him. After introducing the others, the group helped carry his groceries home. He listened patiently to Syl as he explained the League and if Ichigo was available.

"Actually, I haven't seen him since yesterday." He said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Asked Yoh.

"He said something about visiting someone. He seemed to be in a rush." Chad shrugged. Syl sighed. "Did he mention anything else? General direction, holding something, anything?"

"Sorry." Syl walked outside and lay down on the steps. He was currently thinking. Link sighed and went out to have a talk with him. The rest talked with Chad for a bit before Orihime walked in, holding a note. She waved hi, to even the people she didn't know. She gave the note to Chad.

"I found this on my doorstop. It's from Ichigo, and it says 'Urgent!'" She said. Chad quickly read the letter. Orihime walked over to Mario.

"Wow! So many new faces! Hi, I'm Inoue Orihime, and who're you?" She shook Mario's hand rather fast and tight. Mario retracted his hand in mild pain and the others stepped back. Orihime didn't take the hint and tried to introduce herself to everyone. She did manage to do them all, but it took some time. Chad placed the note in his pocket and walked out.

"Where ya going?" Asked Yoh.

"Ichigo wants me and Orihime to come to the Soul Society. He and Uryu are helping the Gotei 13 with some disappearances happening."

"Mind if we come?" Asked Syl. Chad nodded and locked the door as he, Orihime, and the League walked to the Urahara Shop together.

Tessai currently was sweeping the front porch when they arrived.

"Oh, hello. Uryu is waiting downstairs." He pointed to the stairs leading down.

"Thanks." Chad said.

"We also have a deal on fish today. Just came in…"

"Not now." Tessai sighed and continued to sweep.

"Hey, why are you sweeping anyway?" Asked Sora. "It looks clean."

"…It's a slow day." Answered Tessai. "Inoue-chan, will you buy something?"

"I don't know…I didn't bring any money with me. But I'll come back later." Tessai bowed, and went back to sweeping.

Urahara was discussing something with Uryu when the group came down. "Oh, hello all you weirdoes! Sado, where did you find these people?" He got closer to Sonic and Mario and looked over the two, a blue hedgehog and the midget plumber. The two looked at each other, and then decked Urahara together. He just fell back, rolled, and leapt to his feet, holding a 'ta-dah!' pose at the end. Sonic and Mario looked at each other and silently agreed to not pursue this any further.

"Ahem, moving on. Now that we're all together, I explain to our new people what is going on."

" People in the Soul Society have disappeared in the last few days. It started rather slowly, but it suddenly picked up in rate. At first, it was people from the lower class, a district police thing. But then it started to grow, going up the food chain. There is no pattern between any of the victims, but they all vanished into the nights, like ghosts."

"Err…quick question." Luffy asked. "Aren't you people ghosts to begin with?"

Urahara stroked his beard. "In a way…well…oh, never mind. That's not important to begin with!"

"And I believe that the next targets are the Gotei 13, if there is a pattern. This guy, or gal, or thing, has managed to make a Lieutenant Captain disappear recently, so nothing is out of this guy's, or gal's, or it's range. And THAT, THAT is all we know. We know nothing else. Uryu just filled me with everything I just explained."

"Ichigo is looking into the Lieutenant." Uryu said. He had been in thought while Urahara was talking; processing different bits of evidence in his head. His brow showed that nothing was clicking. "Oh, the Lieutenant is Omenda, in case you were wondering."

"Not really." Chad said.

"Hey, where's Youruichi-chan?" Asked Orihime.

"She's taking a vacation." Urahara pulled out a travel brochure detailing a stock image of a beach. "It's unusual for her, but hey, she asked, and I gave."

"…can we please go?" Uryu interrupted. "Ichigo probably needs us, and you people can join us." Sonic looked up from his magazine and nodded. The others got up and walked to the entrance to the Soul Society. Urahara waved good-bye and tapped the door, opening it and sending the League, Chad, Orihime and Uryu away.

They landed on the entrance of Yamamoto's office. As soon as they all arrived, the doors opened, and both Ichigo and Yamamoto stood there, as if expecting them. Uryu, Chad, and Orihime walked in normally, but the League had to stumble in; the doorframe wasn't big enough.

"Yes…you may come in." Yamamoto said in a mocking tone. "And who are you anyway?"

"WE'RE…" Syl started to begin the phrase he hadn't said in a long time, but got stampeded by the Jump characters to greet their old friend. Ichigo took a second to recognize them, but he still embraced them never the less.

"Guys! Whoa…how did you guys get here?" He asked.

"Though the door in that crazy guy's store." Answered Luffy.

"Yeah, what I meant was to his world."

"By the flying pieces of Gummi blocks." Syl answered, walking up to shake Ichigo's hand. The shake is awkward; Ichigo didn't know the guy who talked about something he didn't know about. Syl caught on, and introduced himself. "Name's Syl. I could explain what a Gummi is, but I don't know why it is called Gummi in the first place!"

Ichigo wondered that the man he was talking to was mentally insane.

"Oh, okay. The people behind me are the Heroic League. I'm currently recruiting heroes from different worlds, as you can tell."

"I see." Ichigo looked around at the different heroes. "I guess you want to recruit me?"

"Why, yes. Yes I do. Will you?" Syl smiled.

"…" Ichigo remained in silence. Everyone else also joined in. Syl looked around and got the idea that this was a bit too sudden.

He spoke. "Yeah, I guess I came out a bit too sudden, huh?" He shook the back of the head.

A smile forced upon Ichigo's face. "Yeah. I guess that is a bit awkward." The two shared a shaky laugh. The room remained in silence until Syl cleared his throat.

"Anyway, just hold on to that for now, okay? This whole thing is optional, so you don't have to join. But still, we would like to help you with your mystery, if that is okay with you." Syl walked forward with his hand open. Ichigo shook it, and two faced Yamamoto. The 1st Captain looked at Syl for a moment and nodded.

"It's good to have some new hands around here. It might help if the kidnapper, if there is one, just targets people on this world." Yamamoto's assistant Chōjirō walked in, holding a poster and a stand. He set the stand up and unrolled the poster. It showed all of the vanished people, with lines connecting to different people. Chōjirō bowed, and exited. Yamamoto grabbed a pointer and he whacked it against one of the pictures. The picture showed a dirty man, a low class worker.

"This is our first victim. A Hamada Goro. He worked at a textile shop owned by a Mr. and Mrs. Nakasone." He moved the pointer down a line to the couple. A very ugly couple if I may add. "We looked into the couple first, and discovered that Mr. Hamada was having some problems with the shop owners. Unfortunately, we got that far before the second victim reached our ears." He handed the pointer to Ichigo who followed a second line from Goro to a young girl.

"This is Iida Fumi, a young girl who just happens to be Goro's cousin. Vanished during school hours." Ichigo stopped for a moment. Goku looked at Fumi a little closer. She sorta resembled Yuzu, Ichigo's younger sister, though with red hair. "This led us to the idea that someone or a group of people were after Goro's family. We looked around, and hit a little too many dead ends."

"Dead ends?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing connected. Just nothing." Ichigo threw the pointer onto Yamamoto's desk. "We looked around everywhere, but we found no enemies, no old grudges, no debts. We found nothing that connected to Fumi to Goro's disappearance." Yamamoto sighed. He picked up the pointer and moved it back to Fumi's photo. Several small lines connected to several small photos showing both people and locations.

"We traced everything we could everywhere. We found nothing." Yamamoto looked down, as if in shame. Link looked closer at the board. He followed another line down to the third victim, a Watanabe Masaso. He connected back to Goro's employers. He was a supervisor for a well-known construction company, and personally built all the buildings on the block. Notes that Uryu had tacked on went to a theory that Masaso had built secret basements under several buildings and was hiding something, or someone.

Link traced his finger down several lines, connecting everyone to someone. A teacher from Fumi's school. Nakasone's ex-wife. A man who screwed Goro over a large sum of money years ago. The headmaster to the school that Fumi's mother attended. A mayor who worked with Masaso. The list continued on, connecting different people that a previous victim or anyone related to a victim. The only known pattern between the victims was that every victim rose up in the social ranks.

Yamamoto flipped the board over, revealing photos of the Gotei 13.

"This person went after you guys?" Naruto asked.

"And won." Rukia walked in, throwing some papers on the table. Yamamoto started to look at them while Rukia talked with the others. The League introduced themselves, and then Rukia began speaking about her side of investigation. She had to grab one of the papers to remember something.

"Me and Renji…"

"Where is he?" Asked Ichigo. Rukia held her hand up.

"…discovered that the perpetrator is a man."

"Hmm." Yamamoto sat in thought.

"He doesn't care for Seated Officers, just those with the rank of Assistant Captain and above."

"Omenda definitely counts as Assistant Captain." Uryu said.

"Why not the Seated Officers?" Yamamoto asked.

"Renji wondered the same thing, and we actually found some evidence!" She pulled out a small card and threw it on the table. Yamamoto picked it up and read it out loud.

"_For the captain's hard work: _

_ I care only for the big shots. In order. Not anyone who sits down._

"In order." Yamamoto repeated and reached for his phone and began dialing numbers. Rukia turned back to the others.

"All right, where is Pineapple?" Asked Ichigo. Rukia shuffled uncomfortably.

"He was looking into a lead." Rukia sat down. "Six days ago."

"Crap." Ichigo turned around and shook the back of his head. He turned around and asked, "What was the lead?"

"He wasn't too clear. Just something about finding out who the kidnapper was."

"And he went alone?"

"He told me to report back with the note."

Yamamoto slammed the phone back down. Everyone turned around to look at him.

"He did it."

"Huh?" Syl said.

"All of them. All of the Assistant Captains are missing. The reason they weren't reported missing was because they were either out of the town or on a mission. But according to their captains or official, they went missing, one every day for the past two weeks. This means that Chōjirō is next." Yamamoto rose up and went through the door that Chōjirō came in earlier.

He, with the League and others on his trail, went to the room that Chōjirō often used to make his English tea.

There wasn't even a single speck of a black tea leaf.

* * *

And now, for the Renji fan girl's enjoyment, a part about Renji.

Renji groaned. He got up and found himself…somewhere. Barren, like a desert. And it was night.

Did he go out drinking with Matsumoto again?

No, he hadn't had a drink in a week. He spent the past few days tracking the kidnapper, that's all he remembered. Where was he yesterday? Some…where. Damn. His thoughts were so scrambled; he couldn't think what 2+2 equals without getting a small headache. He drew hiszanpakutō and walked around the area, a barren rock area with no landmarks to determine where he was. As far as he knows, he got dumped a thousand miles away from the nearest area of population.

He growled. It was going to be a LONG walk. He held his zanpakutō in one hand looked around, looking for something to determine a direction to walk in. There were no stars out, so he couldn't tell where north was. He checked his pockets, nothing. Not even lint. He growled a bit louder, the kidnapper had stolen not only his notes, but his wallet, a couple of small items, and his lead….

…no. It was still there. A small bit of a newspaper that held only the front page main story's title,

_THE MAGICIAN MUST TELL HIS SECRETS._

All he got was that a famous magician made two people disappear and they never came back. The story happened when he and Rukia were kids…

Rukia. Thank god. If the kidnapper stayed true to his 'word', she would be fine and be able to report back and get some help.

How long had he been out? Hours? Days? God help everyone, weeks? He had to make tracks fast regardless.

"Where do you think you're going." Something with a low monotone voice whispered into Renji's ear. He turned around, no-one.

"You can't see me. Well, try harder." The voice came from behind him, again. The same thing happened with the same result. He considered of unleashing his Shikai, just to reassure himself. He turned in 180 degrees every three seconds, hoping to catch his visitor.

"Don't bother looking for me." Renji stopped, deciding to rather determine where the voice was coming from and who or what was speaking. He carefully replayed the last three statements. There was nothing in its voice that gave any details away. Was it an actual ghost? He replayed the last statement and finally found something worth noting. His visitor is a woman.

"Good. You're smart." Finally, the woman appeared in a small flash of light. That best word for her is 'white'. Long pale-white hair that reached to her hips, her eyes were a plain grey, a silver circlet on her forehead, a flowing white dress with various grey flowers design with sleeves reaching to her hands, and a cloak that covered her shoulders and went down to her hips in the front and all the way down in the back. She had no shoes.

"Hello, Abarai Renji." She held out her hand as if expecting a shake. Renji stared at her and she retracted her hand back to her side. None of her body parts moved, only her mouth. "You're never the formal one Abarai Renji."

"Who are you?" Renji tapped his zanpakutō against his side. The woman blinked. Her face, like always, was emotionless. She held her hand up at a 90 degree angle from her body and drew a circle in the air. A shimmering, white circle appeared as the circle got completed. Renji stood back. The woman placed her hand in the circle and the circle changed to a picture of…

"Assistant Captain Sasakibe Chōjirō. What's going on?" It showed Chōjirō in his tea tower, making his English tea. (A small explosion destroyed a kettle.) A being in black with a black gaucho hat suddenly 'jump-cut' in. Chōjirō looked up, and before he could draw his sword or say anything, everything in the tower just vanished. What I mean by 'jump-cut' is the man just appeared. There is his, and now he isn't.

"That's the kidnapper?" Renji pulled out the newspaper clipping and showed it to the woman. She nodded.

"Who is he…she…it?" The clip played again, but only the back of the kidnapper could be seen.

"He has no name. Just referred to him as the Magician." A blue card appeared in the circle. The Roman Numeral 'I' laid on the bottom, with the images of two hands, a black fire, two eyes, and an infinity symbol.

"A tarot card?" Renji questioned.

"Yes. He is the first of many." She waved her hand, and the circle showed a quick image of all of the tarot arcana. Renji became amazed. Over twenty people? Strength could wield mountains like a baseball bat. Death could flick his finger and kill someone. He didn't know if they could do that, but who knows? This Magician guy, what else could he do?

"You will fight against them. All of them." She pointed to him.

Renji decided to point his zanpakutō at her. He didn't mean to, but the next moment the zanpakutō suddenly flew out of his hands and returned to his side in its sheath. She slowly shook her head, but stopped. She looked at him very closely and went back. She retracted the circle and then spoke.

"The Magician just tried to use you. He is aware of my presence. I'm sorry, but I must leave. We will talk later. For now, you must head north." She pointed north. "Once you meet the League, I will meet you in the tower where the last Assistant Captain vanished from." She handed him a card, a real one. The Fool, with the number zero, a jester laughing very close to a cliff, accompanied with a dog at his heels, and holding a satchel across his shoulders. Renji examined the card.

"What do I do with this?" He asked.

"This card will determine not just your fate, but possibly the fate of several worlds."

"W-Worlds?"

"This card is useless on its own." The card glowed a small light. "Your power shall grow once you handle some of the arcana. Once all are vanquished, you and I shall handle a great task."

"What sort of task?"

"…I can not answer at this point. We will talk at the tower, alone. Hold up the card once you're ready to talk. Understand."

Renji didn't, like anyone would, understand. But he nodded anyway. He just wanted to go home and catch the kidnapper before he went after the captains. A very faint smile appeared on the woman's face. Renji forced back a smile; the entire conversation with her didn't make much sense to him, and she had kept the same face all the way though. It reminded him of Nemu. Did that mean out there existed another Mayuri, possibly with god-like powers? Renji didn't want to get on any Mayuri's bad side.

She disappeared the next instant, the same way she appeared. Renji almost shouted out 'what is your name?' but he knew that he wouldn't be answered. He sighed. All of this just got dumped on him in the last five minutes. A 'Magician' making people disappear, a task to defeat others like the 'Magician', a lady who she expected his complete trust in this, and something about a League.

"Oh. You have guests." The lady's head floated behind him just to say that, once again unnerving the poor man. She spoke true, as two tank-sized lizard Hollows appeared on the rocks. A weird sort of black mist seemed to surround them. Renji suddenly remembered that when he found the kidnapper, the black mist surrounded him. He had the feeling that some of it traveled to him.

The Hollows licked their chops. Renji once again drew his zanpakutō, and it felt…right. He smiled. He didn't need his Shikai for this. The Hollows didn't notice or care, but they circled around him, waiting for the best moment to strike. Renji just stood, smiling. He finally gave the monsters a chance, and they leapt…

…right into the zanpakutō and going all the way down to the hilt. Renji lifted his right foot and kicked them off, their bodies vanishing in a cloud of black smoke.

He stood back, not wanting to be near the black fog/smoke. He walked in the direction that the lady pointed in. North? He couldn't tell. All he knew that he just had get home and get back to Rukia and the others. He decided to start a brisk run, to get the blood flowing.

And then he ran like hell. The rest of the Hollow pack decided to get revenge.

Revenge IS the most worthless of causes…

* * *

An emergency meeting had been called, with the disappearance of all the Assistant Captains and all. All 10 remaining captains were there, along with Ichigo, Uryu, Chad, Orihime, and the League. While the captains discussed the issue, the League stood at the doors, standing guard. Yamamoto calmly poured tea to everyone before beginning the meeting. Everyone, regardless of taste or preference of tea, took a cup.

"The Soul Society is in dire trouble, as you know." Yamamoto opened the meeting, stating the obvious truth. No one spoke or move. "If this man or thing can kidnap an Assistant Captain without any trouble and remove any trace of the captain's, he may come after us." Kenpachi rose up. He kept his cool until now. "Are you sure? As far as we know, he's a coward! He comes after those with backs turned! Just keep a constant watch out and we will have him."

"That maybe true, seeing of how little we know." Yamamoto sighed. "However. Someone of this, say, prowess is probably hiding his true powers." Kenpachi continued to scowl. Remember, Yachiru is his Assistant Captain, and she disappeared right under his nose, in his own Division building. He didn't want to admit that he failed to fight an enemy that appeared in his training grounds. He sat down, but remained scowling.

"All we can do now is wait and train." Yamamoto spoke as soon Kenpachi sat down. "We can't go after the kidnapper. We have nothing to go after him or her or whatever is doing this. All we can do is prepare. Any objections?" No one rose their hand. "Good. For protection, we shall train here. It's unknown if the kidnapper will attack today, tomorrow, or next week, we can't ever drop our guard. Four guards, changing every hour. But do get some sleep. We shall sleep in here."

Uryu came forward. "I offer that I, Chad and Orihime investigate around a bit more. We're safe from the kidnapper, so we can travel without the fear of disappearing. If we find anything, we'll come back and report." Yamamoto nodded. He turned back to others.

"No one shall leave this building. Is that understood?"

Everyone agreed. Their enemy could appear anywhere and take anyone. Nobody knew anything on the kidnapper. This was a dire time.

* * *

"Come on! Fight!" Kenpachi yelled. He swung his zanpakutō right at Link, who barely dodged. Link was scared for the first time in a long time. At a glance, Kenpachi looked like a serial killer. But his skill with the sword went unrivaled. Not since the Super Smash Bros. tournaments had he seen such a blade dance in a fashion akin to a ballet, graceful, swift, and surprisingly amazing to watch. The sword might have been a third arm.

But still. The guy who looked like a serial killer pretty much acted like one.

"Hey! Don't run away! Don't be a bastard, get back here!" Link regained his courage and now had a plan in mind. He had seen Kenpachi fight just a second ago with Syl, which ended with Syl having to be coaxed down from a flagpole, and Kenpachi seemed to be the kind that swings before thinking. So Link now ran backwards, hoping to lead the insane captain into a trap. What kind of trap it was going to be hadn't been decided yet. He still had to run from the man swinging a sword who seemed to get closer with every stride.

A quick thought later and Link readied himself. He did a big back-flip, and landed in the center of the training ground. Kenpachi ran straight towards him, screaming some sort of battle cry, and holding his blade above his head in a menacing fashion. Link at first held his sword forward over his head, ready to strike. But that plan anywhere else would have gotten him killed. As Kenpachi bought down his zanpakutō, he felt a huge pain in his stomach.

That was the pain that came from the shield punching his gut.

He doubled back, stunned. He stumbled, but quickly regained his balance. Link took this chance to attack. Screaming his usual cries, he swung hard several times, getting blocked every time by the still recovering captain. Kenpachi continued to walk back, using one hand to wield his zanpakutō and the other clenching his stomach.

Link had a good streak going on. The point of the match was to disarm your opponent. Though the zanpakutō in Kenpachi's hand could be considered glued, the punch in the gut did slow him down enough to have Link get in a couple of strikes. After one powerful upper swing, he felt the zanpakutō had gotten a bit weaker in its blocks, meaning victory came a bit closer.

But Kenpachi returned a favor, kicking Link in the gut.

Now everything got back to normal. Kenpachi's stomach pains ended, and he took advantage of the winded Link to go crazy in swinging around aimlessly. Not that Link knew anything about that. He thought that the captain is trying to kill him. He almost retreated, but held his ground. This didn't work, as Kenpachi, with one hand, swung hard to send Link flying into a wall just by hitting the Master Sword.

"Pretty good. For a beginner." Kenpachi said, flashing his best slasher smile.

"I've been doing this longer than you!" Link shouted as he came out of the wall.

"Kid, I'm a hundred years older than you."

"…I meant something else, but that doesn't matter." Link pointed a clock. "Our time is up. We better let the next people in…" Before Link could get the door open, Kenpachi blocked him. "Let me though. The others need to train too." Kenpachi held his zanpakutō up to his face. He didn't said anything. Link glared, but all the captain did was stand there. Link decided to ignore him and open the door. Unohana, Sora and Syl walked in.

And Syl ran out in terror when Kenpachi tried to kill Link for leaving early.

* * *

Shunsui snored. Yoh snored.

The two of them had guard duty in two hours, and Shunsui had agreed to actually do an entire night watch. Yamamoto found it weird, but he agreed to it. Yoh also agreed, and the two formed a quick friendship. However, there was a secret behind the night shift. Shunsui had bought some sake from his private storage and other party favors, despite Yamamoto not wanting anyone to be drunk or in any way addled.

So…we shall cut to that instead of watching them sleep.

"Damn! This shall be good stuff!" Yoh had consumed a fourth of a bottle and already got drunk. Shunsui, a steady drinker, had already downed two bottles but nearing a drunken stupor. And somewhere in the world, Nanao got the feeling that Shunsui was doing something stupid. And she felt a sense of despair; the 8th Division may look a lot different when, and if, she got back.

"Yes. The best." Shunsui's mind had started to slow down, and he could only make short sentences.

"Hey! We're out of nuts!" Yoh shook the nut can, and then started to bang the can against the floor. "Do ewe have anymore?"

"Sorry. When Nanao comes back, I make her buy an entire store of nuts! She and her glasses. More trouble than worth." Shunsui reached over to a bottle. He tipped, but nothing came out. "Damn. I must have drunk more than I thought." He threw it over his shoulder, and the bottle smacked into the wall, shattering and getting chunks of glass in the wall.

"Well. I suppose we need to work. Old Man-Yama could hit us." He tried to get up, but it took four tries to get his legs to stand firm, and two more tries to balance him straight. He walked over to the door that they supposed to guarding, with Yoh dragging himself behind. Shunsui managed to grab the handle in one go and yanked it open.

He looked out outside. An empty courtyard. "No one in sight. We're done for now." He closed the door.

"Wait here. I'm going to sneak back to my office and get some more." Yoh held up his thumb and went to sleep. Shunsui dragged his now numb left leg to go his quarters.

And he felt something wicked this way come…

* * *

But before we go further, let's go back to the training.

Mario and Sonic were once again duking it out, but this time with a teammate.

"Calm down." That was the first thing that Hitsugaya said to Mario before the match started.

"Slow down!" Rukia had to shout into Sonic's ear in order to be heard over the hedgehog's continuous revving.

"No way!" Said the two heroes as they charged into battle.

And promptly crashed into each other the next instance, knocking both out.

Both Hitsugaya and Rukia poked the unconscious forms.

"So…you want to spar?" Asked Rukia once they threw the bodies off to the side.

"Okay." So the two clashed swords for their hour. After it ended, they dragged the still sleeping heroes outside so Sora and Unohana could have their turn. The two walked in, didn't say anything about Mario and/or Sonic, and went to the middle. Sora and Unohana instantly formed a quick bond together (Desperate times bring people together) and Unohana instantly recognized the healing powers that Sora had. She decided that she should spend her hour teaching Sora to make his magic work more effectively.

But wait! How are they going to practice? Healing magic only works on targets that are wounded.

So they got a volunteer. Enjōji Tatsufusa, who just happened to be delivering dinner along with the other seated officers. He tried to escape, but Unohana quickly subdued him. They located a long wooden board, and several straps to hold him down. While Unohana readied for the exercise, Sora of course, questioned the whole thing.

"Isn't this…you, know…torture?" Unohana just shook her head.

"We will heal him. The torture will be gone in a hour. So it would be like nothing happened." Sora got taken back, but that disappeared when the smile appeared on her lips. The one can unnerve God even. He looked back at Tatsufusa; sleeping like a baby. He seemed to be a strong man who could take a couple of blows without serious or long-term pain. For some reason, Unohana pulled down a bag over Tatsufusa. He looked like a punching bag.

"Oh, Yusuke-kun." Unohana called out and the man came out running. "Could you quickly punch our bag a couple of times? Warm it up for us?" Yusuke shrugged and quickly punched the 'bag' several times all over. For some reason, Tatsufusa remained asleep. Sora just watched, holding back his horror. Yusuke left afterwards, calling for Komamura. The bag came off, and Tatsufusa continued to snore, but with new bruises all over him.

"You go first." Unohana pointed to a bruise on his arm. "Heal just that bruise the same way you always do." Sora nodded and his Kingdom Key materialized in his hand. He pointed point-blank at said bruise and called, "Heal." And the bruise vanished. Unohana clapped.

"That was good. But not very efficient." She applied some of her own healing magic on a bigger bruise and the same thing happened.

Sora asked the obvious question. "What do you mean? There is no difference."

"Tell me. How many times can you perform that at one time?"

"Ten times, twelve, fourteen? I lost count, but I can do it enough to fit the quota."

"Not good enough. My healing is the same, but I performed it to preserve energy for many more times."

"Just how many?"

"At least a hundred. We haven't had anything big enough to set a record."

"A hundred!"

Unohana shrugged. "You want to know how I do it?"

"Sure!" Sora got into a stance. Unohana just shook her head and gently took the Keyblade out of his hands.

"Your weapon is a key. A key, according to you, can unlock and loc any lock and create paths to other worlds. It possess a amazing power, doesn't it? I can feel it. A good calm power, the one of light. You could fight with astounding strength and heal even the ones on death's bed. It's no wonder that Syl-san chose you."

"Thanks, I guess." Sora said. Then he snapped back. "Hey! How are you able to hold that?" He grabbed the Keyblade back. Unohana just smiled.

"Maybe your key likes me."

"I guess. Anyway, what about making my heal powers better?"

"Oh yes. You said you just heal enough to do a battle quota?"

"Yeah."

"That sort of mindset just allows you to heal enough. But what if that is not enough? What if the enemy pulls out some sort of a back plan? A plan that could wipe out you and your friends in a instance. You can't just heal whenever you need to. You need to heal when the time is right. And you need to heal to make sure that you can do more later on. It's hard, but if you're going to continue traveling with the League, you need to learn the best way of healing."

"Said the woman who took one of her subordinates and used him as a punching bag."

"I'm a healer. I didn't hurt him. Now, for the best healing touch, you need to be calm. You can't be rushing around and fighting. Think like a healer, not a warrior. Focus on the injury. Think about the whole process on how you fix something. Go step by step. You need to slow down to help the ones in pain. It seem like a long haul, but it's important. Come on, try." She pointed to the biggest bruise on Tatsufusa.

Sora pointed the Keyblade once again point-blank. He looked at the bruise. Focused on the mending. He channeled the healing energy down his hands and into the Keyblade. The bruise vanished like before, but Sora felt the difference. Unlike before, he felt the magic took a little less out of him. Unohana clapped again, with more feeling this time.

"Thanks Unohana-taicho!" Unohana nodded and the two practiced some more healing. They finished and loosed the straps, sending the STILL sleeping Tatsufusa to the floor. Sora poked him, but he continued to snore on. Cloud Nine had nothing on this guy. Ah well, he never felt it, so no long time trauma or pain for him. He'll wake up, and try to remember what happened after he dropped off the captain's food.

The two looked at the clock. "It's time. We better let the next group in." Sora put away his Keyblade and walked inside, but Unohana pulled him back.

"What's wrong? Our time is up."

"I need to talk to you about your key." She drew him to the nearby bushes.

"What about?"

"Your key…be careful of it." Her voice was filled with dread. Sora felt something was wrong, despite the statement about his key being dangerous. Her eyes didn't betray any hidden fear, but a held a sense of dread. He pulled the key out and showed it to her. She once again gently took it, and examined a bit closer.

"The power of light in this one overweighs inside. That's not a bad thing initially, but even the light loses its way. On your ring of worlds, light and darkness are synonymous with good and evil. But everywhere else, they're not. The power of light can be paved with good intentions, but ultimately lead to destruction. And people who turn to the darkness are those who seek power. Sometimes, it just is they want power. Maybe they want to avenge someone."

"Yes, darkness actually could sway those to do evil acts, but there those who use it to save lives. And people who believe completely in the light may be thrown into a situation where their believes may be put on the line. Your weapon works for the heart. It creates light to pierce the darkness in someone's heart and unlocks the truth. But these aren't real light or darkness. They're just symbolic."

Sora worked over the information in his head. In a way, she was true. The whole 'light and darkness' theory back where he was always involved 'heart'. But Riku wielded the darkness, but worked on the side of good. It was still hard for him to believe. His Keyblade may be a time bomb? Let's say it could be. Could the Keyblade put him on forked road that would lead him to a decision that, regardless what he chose, he would regret?

He nodded; understanding.

"Thanks for listening to me. I'm not sure if it may happen, but be careful. Remember, calm, peaceful and do what you need to do to live. You're welcome to the 4th Division anytime." The two came out of bushes to get spotted by Yusuke and Komamura.

"Unohana-san." Komamura was the first to speak. "What were you doing behind those bushes?"

"Just talking. Were you implying that I was doing things that aren't nice?" Her smile appeared. Komamura immediately shut up. He turned around to face Yusuke, who got the idea not to say anything. Unohana and Sora walked out together.

"Geez…that scary, huh?" Asked Yusuke.

"Unohana-san is a nice woman. But don't ever cross her. At least she heals you afterwards."

"Noted. All right." Yusuke stretched his legs out, entering tiger style stance. "Where were we? Oh yeah, kicking your ass!"

Komamura got into his own stance. "Not today!" They two leapt and entered a fierce brawl.

I would talk about it…but something else important is going to happen...

* * *

"I do have a question." Syl asked Yamamoto.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever met any other Spirit Users?"

"Only one." Yamamoto walked over to his desk and opened a drawer. "A man who I worked on a mission a while back. He had been looking into some mysterious energy that he detected. He never gave me his name, though." He shuffled for a bit, and pulled out a old photo. It showed a younger Yamamoto (His beard was considerably shorter.) and a old black man who Syl instantly recognized him. Yamamoto took notice.

"You know him?"

"Richard Holiday. The guy who taught me to unleash my powers. My master." He looked at the picture more closely. The man looked fifteen years younger than when Syl met him. The white hair had started to grow , but by the time Syl met him, the white area would be the only area left. He looked to be strong, but a case of neuromuscular disease would settle that. He was smiling. He hardly smiled during the training. The photo showed a man that Syl both knew and didn't know.

"I take it he died." Yamamoto said with a forlorn voice.

"Yeah." Syl handed the photo back. Yamamoto put the photo back in the drawer. Syl snapped his fingers, and a blue flame came forward. He played around with it, extending and shortening, creating rings and such. "Shoot. I made myself sad."

"How long did you know him?"

"About six months. After he died, I traveled."

"And here you are."

"Yes I am…crap. I don't even know how long has it been."

"According to Link, you started at least two weeks ago. You traveled fast."

"Though it has been at least three years since the author got started."

"Pardon?"

"Nothing."

The doors opened, and in Ichigo, Soifon, Luffy, and Byakuya walked in.

"Captain." Byakuya said. "We would like to ask you a question. Would be willing to train with us?"

"All at once, eh? That barely seems fair."

"To you, or to us?"

"Depends."

"Well, in that case, could you at least join us?"

"Of course. Syl?"

"Yeah. It's my hour."

As the group walked out, Syl approached Soifon.

"You want to talk?" She asked. Out of all the captains, she didn't take too kindly to Syl. She heard or meet the other League members, but Syl was new. And she didn't exactly trust him. He did work around some famous heroes and had gathered some trust, but still, the best kind of con man are the patient ones.

"So…um…how are handling things?" He asked. It had been a while, and Syl wanted some girl interaction.

"I'm fine."

"You sure? You seem…a bit anxious."

"A little."

"Ah. So…"

"You should be quiet." Soifon walked up ahead. Syl didn't take the hint and got up to her. She glared at him.

"That's harsh."

"Do you think I want to talk to you?"

"You could be a little nicer."

"Should I?" She tried to leave, but Syl rejoined her. She moaned. Syl could be considered the Anti-Casanova.

"I'm just saying…"

"Don't you have anyone else to talk too?"

"I just want to talk to you."

"And I don't want to talk you."

"And yet, you are."

"This could be considered stalking…"

"All right, fine. Sheesh. Why so tense?"

"I'll answer to that. I don't trust you."

"I get it, I get it. I'm new, I'm young, I'm the author's persona, I got unique powers, I'm handsome…."

"Get a haircut and a shave."

"Nay to the shave!"

Soifon decided to finally ignore him and talk to Byakuya. Syl stopped for a bit, sighed, and walked behind everyone, until Ichigo decided to talk to him.

"We really haven't a chance to talk, have we?" He said.

"Yeah, with the whole business and everything, it's been a little messy."

"So I saw you trying to make some moves."

"And I went back."

"There shall be very little chance with her. She's way too strict for you and she has her eye on someone else."

"Ah." Syl didn't have much to say.

"You're not that social are you?"

"Didn't have much friends growing up. I think it had to do with the fact I moved to a new school when everyone knew me at the old school."

"Hmm. Oh, hey, we're here."

Their talk had lead them into the middle of the training grounds. The others were talking off to the side.

"I suggest teams." Said Byakuya.

"Right!" Said Luffy. "I take…Syl!"

"Eh?" Syl heard his name and walked over.

"I want you to be on my team!" Luffy pointed at him.

"Oh…kay. I doubt there will be that much room, but sure." He stood at Luffy's side.

"Hmm." Byakuya thought for a minute and looked over to Yamamoto. "Captain?"

"Alright."

"Hey, Ichigo! You want to help me?" Luffy asked. Ichigo shrugged and stood next to Syl. Soifon didn't need any direction, she walked straight to Byakuya's side. The two sides walked to the middle, and stood in position.

There was no bell. They just started. Syl and Ichigo went after Byakuya first. Their swords clashed with one sword.

"Two on one? Not very useful with two others opponents around."

"Well, I thought Syl would go after someone else!" Ichigo said between gritted teeth.

"Sorry!" Syl broke free and went after Soifon, who just managed to escape Luffy's grasp.

"Oh, so that's it." Soifon managed to block Syl's attack with Suzumebachi. "You can't get a date, so you stalk and attack the woman who turned you down!"

"It's TRAINING."

"You attacked first!" The two went at it. Soifon, despite having the smaller weapon, held the advantage. Syl tried to attack, but just beat up. He grabbed Black Wood with both hands and swung; hitting empty air. Soifon had ducked down and kicked Syl in the shins. He went down, but used his Spirit powers to boost him back up. He threw his sword like a boomerang, to which Soifon blocked easily…

…only if the projectile actually came close. Syl had rushed forward, grabbed the sword's handle, and swung with all of his might. Eve n though she did block, the force of the attack still made her skid back quite a bit. She looked up and saw Syl twirling his sword and his arm.

"Pretty good, I must admit. But do you think that I would falter so easily?"

"Not really. Worth a try." Syl threw his sword like a spear. Soifon got smart and grabbed the sword by the tip. Which lead to Syl's next trap. He ran forward and grabbed the handle, this time by going under it. With the added boost of Spirit, he swung over his head and down to his back, sending Soifon flying. She managed to roll with the blow and get to the ground in time to block Syl's next attack.

"Dirty. Your style is rather dirty."

"That's your opinion." The two dueled off for a while, with Syl gaining a bit of advantage, but not getting any hits in. At least Soifon wasn't either.

"You're going against a Shinigami." She said. "A Captain. One of the strongest people in the entire Society. Trying to outdo me isn't going to work." She effortlessly grabbed Syl and threw him off into the distance. He landed on his butt. He shook his head.

"Once again, worth a try." He did the same boomerang trick again. Soifon dodged this time. She blocked again, as Syl made a attempt at punching her.

"You lost your sword!" Soifon kicked Syl in the chest. She attempted to finish him off, but something whacked her in the head. Boomerang, indeed, Syl managed to fill it with enough Spirit power to make it come back. Yet this didn't hurt her. Just made her angry.

Syl had got up to his feet and get around her to get his sword. Soifon didn't react. She did release Suzumebachi and draw her zanpakutō.

"Swordplay to you is fun and games." She held her sword like a dagger, reverse, under-hand. "Shall I teach you what it really is?"

Syl bowed. "Training, remember?" The two clashed.

While Ichigo and Byakuya were also clashing, Luffy and Yamamoto were drinking tea.

"Shouldn't we be training, Gramps?" Luffy asked.

"Do you feel confident?" Yamamoto replied, pouring another cup.

"Of course." Luffy took a sip. He made a weird face; too strong for his tastes.

"We're fine." Yamamoto smiled. Luffy smiled back.

Byakuya knocked the sword out of Ichigo's hands. Ichigo tried to shove Byakuya out of the way, but got knocked to the ground as a result. "Have you lost your touch, Kurosaki? A while back, you could handle yourself."

"I'm just getting started!" Ichigo tried to sweep the leg, but hit air, as Byakuya kicked his back from behind. This propelled Ichigo to the area where his zanpakutō landed, allowing him to grab it and get back up. He charged, swinging his zanpakutō at all directions, hoping to catch Byakuya off guard. He blocked it all with the same face he always wore. Byakuya countered, but Ichigo managed to roll back.

The two struggled without let up from both. Byakuya definitely held the upper hand. Luffy and Yamamoto watched.

Ugh. I'm starting to fall into writer's block. Moving on.

Ichigo feinted with a side pain, and Byakuya fell for it. Ichigo grabbed his zanpakutō and threw it far away. Byakuya stood still, keeping his cool. Ichigo breathed heavy. They remained in deadlock, waiting for one to move. Both of their eyes dared the other to go first. Ichigo kept his cool, with Byakuya, you should be careful about trying to intimate him; it never ends well.

But Byakuya never did anything. He took a step back, as a Syl torpedo hit Ichigo dead on, knocking both into the bushes. Byakuya looked back at Soifon, who was red-faced. She stormed out, screaming angrish on the way out. The bushes rattled, and the two losers rolled out in a ball. Luffy ran over and untangled the two.

"What did you do?" Ichigo asked Syl. Syl turned completely red.

"I accidently….well…."

Ichigo grabbed Syl by the shoulders. "Well what?"

"Eh…hoo…."

"Is he delirious?" Asked Luffy.

"No." Ichigo said. His voice managed to out-scare Soifon in Syl.

"groped her…" Syl said very meekly.

"Excuse me?" Ichigo was slowly running out of patience.

"I…groped her…by accident." Syl's face contained fear, embarrassment, and the feeling of temporary bliss.

My school agreed to the fact that all men are perverts. We all had a good laugh.

* * *

Mayuri was stalking Naruto.

That's nothing new.

"Listen, doll." Mayuri said to no-one. He turned around, and then remembered that Nemu had been kidnapped. Or, in his deranged mind, walked in one direction and got lost. He shook his head in annoyance. Sure, capturing the ninja would be easy with his science, but that meant he would have to carry him back to the lab. What a hassle.

So he prepared the agent. He designed a special gun to handle such a job. Naruto was too easy of a target. An orange jumpsuit? Really? And he called himself a ninja. From what he gathered, he could considered a flashy brawler. In fact, the village he came from is pretty much the same!

But still. An ancient beast is perfect for creating powerful weapons and stuff. He couldn't resist.

He looked behind the corner one more time. Back still turned. He pointed at the neck and fired.

And felt nothing a second later. Naruto had re-directed the dart with a single kunai block.

"You shouldn't say your thoughts out loud." He said, before taking the dart gun.

And thus Mayuri missed his training hour.

* * *

One group left, before we move to our villain.

Ukitake and Goku decided to help prepare the food that the officers had delivered. Rukia stayed nearby to prevent her captain from over-doing portions and Goku from stealing. After having his hand frozen twice, Goku decided to actually learn how to make meals. Syl, Link, and Yusuke were the few who knew some sort of cooking (Link being the best, Syl knowing to do some general work, and Yusuke knew how to make easy food), but all failed to teach the Saiyan.

"So, I mix this…with this?" He asked. He wanted to know if Item 'A' could mix well with Item 'B'.

"Yes. But slowly. You could splatter it all over the room, and Rukia-chan could kill us." Rukia looked up. She didn't mind mess; they would be cleaning up anyway. Goku calmly stirred 'A' and 'B'. Ukitake reached into a bag and pulled out Item 'C'. He unwrapped it, and put in the bowl.

"So…what are we making?" Asked Goku.

"A chocolate cake." Ukitake showed everyone in the room the picture. It had strawberries on top, whipped cream and cherries. Goku started to drool before Rukia poked him, reminding him that stood over the bowl. "I thought that everyone could use a pick-me-up after all that happened." He prepped the oven. Goku continued to stir.

"Shouldn't we be training?" Asked Goku.

"Nah." Ukitake said.

"Why? If you guys are super strong, how come one person can take you and win?" Ukitake put down the bag he was moving to the counter. He sighed.

"The reason is…I'm next."

"Oh yeah! You want me to protect you!" Ukitake bobbed his head; confirming.

"Captain." Rukia approached him."I may not be as powerful as the League members, but I'm not a target. I could handle him. As far as we know, all he can do is make people disappear. We know about him."

"But what do we know?" Ukitake came back gently. "A good fighter plays his cards when he sees the time to play them. We can't take chances. I know you're strong. And under normal circumstances, I would throw you at him. But we know near nothing, or everything. The truth is, we can't go in with guns ablazing."

"And you need me to protect you." Goku said, still stirring.

"For now." Ukitake took the bowl and placed it in the oven. He set an egg timer to 45 minutes and decided to work on the salad.

"So now what?" Goku asked. Ukitake handed him a carton of strawberries.

"Start cutting." Goku grabbed the knife, opened the carton, and began cutting.

Rukia got bored of the last statement and walked to find someone to talk to. She couldn't believe that Son Goku and her own captain could bore her. Since when has ever that happened?

* * *

Renji ran as fast as he could; even though he had been running for an hour.

The woman's advice had proven true; HQ was in his eyesight. He got cleared with the guard, and continued on to warn the others.

The Hollows had stopped chasing him after they all died. Violently, of course. Oddly enough, no other Hollows came after him, despite traveling though a well-known Hollow nesting ground. He figured that the Magician could be trying to lure him into another trap, or possibly something even more dangerous. He should be careful, but he needed to get back to base.

The streets were empty of life. Stands that promised '24 hours service' were filled with just fruit, not people. Did the Magician take them all? Could he do that? Was he over-reacting? Agh! He screamed out loud. No lights turned on. No one came out running. This could be two things. No one heard him, or they were all gone.

Damn. Whatever he is doing, the Magician is playing mind games with him.

Something came over him. A familiar feeling.

The Magician.

"_You returned_?" The voice of the Magician came into his mind. Renji didn't hear until now, but he knew it could be only him.

"_Foolfool…fool,fool…foolfoolfoolfoolfool…fool,fool,fool…_" The word repeated throughout his brain. He fell down in pain. His brain couldn't process the intense power passing through. Though the Magician was saying a normal sentence, the simple act of anger was enough to almost KO Renji. He held on, and tried to run, but fell down. His attempts to crawl ended with him running blind into a wall.

"_Hmm. Your mind is weak_."

"_Not strong. Not strong at all_."

"_You can't survive. Not to me, or not to anyone of the further_."

Renji shot up. "SHUT UP." The Magician, from wherever he was, got shot back. Renji discovered that his strength came back and he got back up and continued to run. A quick blur of movement appeared in the edge of his right eye. He pulled out his zanpakutō and blocked an attack. Yet another Hollow. Renji ducked, and bought his blade around him, craving though the legs, and finished it off with a stab though the head.

"_A dim hope_."

"_Fate is sealed_."

"_You may have the stern will and the unfailing determination to attain your dreams, but not enough to surpass me_."

"WILL…YOU…BE…QUIET?" Renji had heard a few words from his enemy, and already grown tired of the meaningless speech on how he is foolish and doomed. He managed to place a mental block to stop the Magician, and somehow it worked. The words came though, but had no effect. At least on his physical state. His mental state was starting to break, but mostly from anger.

Two more Hollows rained down. Renji dealt with them swiftly, and continued to run. HQ laid about a mile ahead. His brain rushed with adrenaline, and he acted on instant whenever a Hollow came close. Even with the moon's dim light, he still hit like a sniper, quick and efficient. He didn't have time for this.

"_You cling…to a dim hope_."

"WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU?"

"_Your resilience is astounding. But can you break the chain of fate and crave your own path_Y?"

"YOU MORON! I DON'T CARE!"

"_You mean…you don't understand. Your fate to handle the symbols of the different sides of humanity._"

"_…would you like to know why? How? Whom?_"

"You think I care about this? The Gotei 13 needs me! You know, to stop you!"

"_But what if…_"

"I'M DONE TALKING TO YOU! RUKIA…" He stopped in both his mind and feet. He made a mistake. He could just picture the Magician smiling.

"_Rukia? Your friend? The one who you sent back? For her safety?_"

"To report back!"

"_Your bond with her is more than that._"

"Damn you…if you…"

"_Touch her? I can't kill her, the wheel of fate might stop._"

"What are you…"

"_Talking about? You may not represent the Fool, but you're sure are one_."

"Stop insulting me, you sack of…

"_Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha. Your mind is vulgar and full with anger. Not the kind of person…_"

"…who inherits the will of the arcana?" Renji quipped back. "You're not the only one who can pull off the mind trick." Another mental image of the smile appeared. For a minute, a small, serious laugh entered Renji's mind. It unnerved him, but kept his cool. The laugh never went up a tempo, an octave or any other wave of sound. A laugh that almost looped.

"_Good. The power of the arcana is starting to flow within. Maybe you can…_"

"Enough, enough!" Renji shouted out loud. "I'm tired of your endless…"

"_Fine. I will get to the point. If you turn back, Rukia won't be in a great deal of pain. Killing would be too easy. She die on her own time._"

"Touch her…"

"_Ha ha ha. Come closer and test me_."

Renji almost stopped. But he kept going. He handled whatever the Magician threw at him so far, so he could save Rukia and deal the well-deserved beatdown. He checked the Fool card. It glowed a bit brighter, meaning that the Magician laid somewhere nearby. He looked forward, and his bravado almost vanished.

Straight forward was HQ…

* * *

Ukitake placed the last dish on the table. The makeshift dinner table barely had enough room to seat everyone, but no one seemed to mind. Mayuri continued to rant on about the wonder of SCIENCE and questioning everyone from the League about their powers, another people they met, and talked the whole way though the entire meal. No one talked back to him, just had their own conservations.

"But it sounds like your ninjas are much more of the assault kind." Said Soifon.

"Yeah, so? We still get the job done!" Naruto retorted back.

"I like how you did the meat. Juicy, yet tender!" Komamura said with said meat in his mouth.

"Thank you." Ukitake said back.

"Please, Komamura-san, chew with your mouth closed." Unohana quietly whispered into the Komamura's ear.

"Hey, where is Syl?" Asked Sora. Sonic looked all around the table. Syl never missed a meal, unless he got knocked-out from a fight. And he walked inside awake. Okay, he did sexually assault a captain, but Soifon seemed to be ignoring that, for now. Syl could be hiding because of embarrassment and/or he got scared.

"Your turn." Sonic turned his head to the voice. Link pointed straight at him.

"Me? Do I look like the type for pep-talks?"

"I handled the last twelve-thousand times. I can't help him that much."

"Geez, he's like Ikari Shinji."

"Hope he doesn't become like that."

Sonic sighed. He might as well try to save Syl from being killed by Soifon. Or least get him out of the closet he had been in for three hours. It wasn't hard, just look for the closet that had slammed shut hard. And shaking. The shaking stopped when Sonic came close.

Sonic banged on the door. "Syl, it's me!"

"Me who?"

"Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"I'm pretty sure that Soifon can imitate voices, being an assassin and all!"

"Trust me, it can't be anyone else!"

"But I overheard you guys. You don't trust me."

"So what? That's not important right now! There is a Shinigami out there who might kill you if given the chance. Can you at least…" Syl opened the door and dragged in Sonic. For some reason, the closet was big enough to hold two people and have walking room. Syl looked distraught and, of course, scared. Sonic did feel sorry for the poor guy, but held a firm hand.

"I groped the Second Division Captain, a master assassin. I'm going to die."

Sonic sighed. "You're not going to die. We handle the kidnapper and leave. With Ichigo. He seems interested, and had admitted to liking the idea. We got the guy you wanted. We can leave, and you'll be safe from the scary-wary…" Syl held his hand, quieting Sonic.

"I'm not a child. But I can't keep doing this. I can't keep hurting people and get off scot-free. With Chi-Chi, I had help from our cloaked friends and their employer. But this? I'm BONED. She's going to find me, stab me everyone twice, kick my balls a hundred times, cut me up, feed my legs to the gators, my arms to the loins, my torso to the poor, and keep my head as a trophy. God. God." Sonic grabbed Syl and slapped him three times. Syl shook his head. "Thanks. But still!"

"So go and apologize. It worked well with Chi-Chi."

"I had help. Our cloaked allies used their powers to make Chi-Chi less angry. But I doubt they would help me with a sexual assault charge. I'm guilty." Sonic slapped him again, this time back-handing to the ground. He got up, rolled his head, and thanked Sonic again. Syl turned around, covered his face in his hands, sighed and turned to speak.

"Okay, okay, okay. I need to apologize the old-fashioned way. And thhiiissss is going to be hard…"

"Do you need any help?"

"See this rope?"

"No, Syl."

Syl laughed a little, in spite of events. Sonic smiled. Well, that was easy. He opened the door, and the two walked out.

"Okay, really. Flowers or chocolates?"

"Don't bribe her. She may not like that."

"Oh, wait!" He pointed to a calendar on the wall. Currently February, showing Syl that only a month has gone by since he started. Currently the 7th, he looked down the line to Friday the 11th. Soifon's birthday. Syl smiled and turned back to Sonic. "Now, what should I get for her birthday?" Sonic shrugged. Syl continued to wonder about the gift with Sonic just bearing it.

_SSSSSSS….._

The two stopped. An all-too familiar sound could be heard. Quiet, but noticeable. They walked down the hall where the sound came from. The air had the scent of something burning. Down the hall laid another a closet; the door had been pried from the hinges, but placed to hide the prize inside.

"Could it be?" Syl asked.

Sonic quickly dashed down the hall and opened the door. It was, indeed, a bomb. A big one, too. Syl reached him and yelped. A wind-up clock had been placed on top, clicking down one hand to a red line. 10 minutes to go, if the timer could be believed.

"Can we get rid of it?" He asked. Sonic checked. He said under his breath an expletive; the bomb had no wires to disable the bomb, and had been bolted to the floor.

"No time! Let's get out of here!" The two ran off to get the others…

…and tripped.

"How the hell…?" Sonic said before he looked back at the bomb. The clock hand had jumped ahead a minute. Syl got up and stayed near the wall, taking careful steps, checking out for any other traps. He stopped half-way; finding a second tripwire. He pointed his finger straight at the middle of the wire, and fired a simple beam, cutting though and destroying the trap. Sonic walked forward…

…and fell down, as a pressure switch tripped him.

Another minute had disappeared. Six minutes left. Syl continued to walk near the wall, and then had a thought. What if the kidnapper (If it was it) had placed pressure switches on the floor, or hell, the walls? Sonic got up, and crawled on his stomach, careful not to put too much weight in his hands, to hopefully not to set off any more switches. Syl followed the same; and the two made slow progress, but good progress.

Syl made it first, with only four minutes left. He stopped at the far wall and took a breath.

"Hold still." Syl extended his arm, and grabbed Sonic with his Spirit powers, and pulled him across, without touching the floor.

And tripped another wire , removing yet another minute. Syl cursed.

Three minutes left. The Magician smiled.

Unohana felt something in the air. Yamamoto realized it too.

"He's here." They both said at the same time. Everyone rose up, trying to find where the kidnapper was hiding.

"EVERYONE, OUT NOW!" Sonic yelled as he grabbed Mario and ran out.

"Wait, what?" Komamura asked, confused. Syl ran in, and almost tripped, but balanced himself.

"THERE'S A BOMB! GET OUT OF HERE!" He ran out the door, with the others following. The full moon illuminated the entire ground, with the foggy black sky covering only the sky. Ichigo looked up. This is was the darkest sky he had never seen. But this was no ordinary sky. Ichigo could feel the malevolence, he could just feel it. The moonlight had its own place in the sky; the clouds left an entire gap where the moon was.

This feeling…meant something powerful and unrelenting this way come.

"How did he/it get in?" Asked Ichigo. "And how long did he…?"

"It's a trap!" Said a voice that hadn't been heard in a while.

"RENJI?"

For it was he, as he ran forward, with a big pack of Hollows following behind.

"Renji!" Rukia shouted. "What happened…"

"Get out of here!" He yelled, waving his zanpakutō around. "The Magician is trying to get you all into one place…"

"And it is done."

Everyone, including the Hollow pack, froze. They couldn't move. The monotone laughter filled the air, all but Renji immediately got spooked. Renji tried to speak, but found himself unable to do so. He looked around. The teen with the glasses and hat was glowing with a light-blue light, the blue animal (Renji couldn't tell what it is) was vibrating, and Yusuke tried to break free, but could only manage to move his fingers.

The laugh stopped. When it ended, everyone could move again. The Hollows tried to attack, but a visible blue magic wall blocked them. They clawed away, but couldn't get though. Everyone pulled out their zanpakutō, with a symphony of drawing metal. They spread out, looking for anyone, or anything.

"Hey…" Ichigo laid back-to-back to Renji, Syl, and Link. He was speaking to Renji. "You seem to know more about this than anyone else."

So Renji talked about the whole thing. He lied about how he knew about the Magician, saying he followed a small trail of clues and got caught up in a trap. He read the Magician's dairy, and managed to escape and get back. He could hear the lady's voice telling him what he should say; she wanted to tell the 'League' later herself. He didn't like lying, but he felt that this was too important and beyond him to break now.

"This guy…geez." Syl sighed, and broke group to check the area with his Spirit powers and turned up nothing. "Could we be over our heads?"

"An enemy who can bend reality?" Link said. "You may be right." Ichigo looked around. The Hollow pack continued to try to break the wall, but to no effect. The other captains and League members had grouped together in different numbers and investigated around, turning up nothing. The moon eerie light still filled the sky.

Was this the power of the Magician? Or is this reality, just bought on because of the presence of the Magician?

The laughter re-filled the air. Everyone turned to the direction where their ears heard the noise. Up. A purple/black vortex stood in mid-air. It dematerialized, and the Magician materialized. His clothes remained the same. Black gaucho hat, and an outfit in black. It remained too dark to make any disquisition to any particular clothes or see his face. He descended, and bowed.

No one moved.

"Hello. You're the remaining Gotei 13 and the incomplete Heroic League. It's time for oblivion to come." He said with a booming voice. Renji confirmed in the back of his head that there was no doubt that this is the real Magician, not a copy. His voice in physical form definitely proved his power.

"I'm Captain of the 1st Division, Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni. I guess it's safe to presume that you're the kidnapper that has causing trouble around here the past few weeks?" The Magician's hat nodded. 'Waves' of black energy with dark purple streaks at the edges and spheres of red energy expelled from its feet. The hat raised a little.

"Correct. I'm the Magician, the first Arcana. Action, initiative, self-confidence, manipulation and the power to harness one's talents are invested within me." The hat continued to go retract up, as if to tease. Yamamoto put away his zanpakutō back in his cane, and walked forward, but got pushed back by a 'wave.'

"Don't come closer. I mean to dispose you." Kenpachi stepped forward, and resisted the next wave.

"Dispose…me?" Kenpachi laughed. "You have to try a little harder than to get rid of me! Now, let's talk serious business." His laughter stopped. His voice lowered to a serious tone. "**Where is Yachiru?**" The Magician remained quiet. Kenpachi got closer. "I ask again. Where…ugh?"

He grunted as a knife pierced his left shoulder. The knife was held in a long, tentacle-like arm with a cartoony human hand, coming out of the Magician's chest. Kenpachi jumped back, putting pressure on his shoulder. The arm went back into the chest, but the knife deflected off and the Magician grabbed the knife with his real right hand and started to throw the knife up; it spun, and he caught it.

"That's your power?" Asked Renji. The Magician continued to twirl the knife.

"My true strength. One that I shall use if necessary." He twirled the knife one last time. He caught it, and it slid under his sleeve. He went back to the original pose that he appeared in. He quickly laughed for just two seconds before resuming to talk.

"Do you wish to be done soon?" He stared at Rukia, just to spook Renji. "Then, leave. Leave this place and never return. This place has been chosen to be a ground for the Retestament." He pointed up to the sky, at the moon.

It had changed.

The image on the card of the Magician appeared on the moon. It had been etched in. The Magician laughed again, for a whole fifteen seconds. Two knives slid back into his hands.

"So. Your answer. Is it yes…or is it blood?"

Yamamoto had remained in thought since Kenpachi stepped forward. He re-drew his sword and held it forward.

"We are the Gotei 13. We're not the kind to take words that spell 'cowardice' well. Rather, we react. If you wish for us to move, then make us. The mountains bend easier then we. You can try, but I warn you, it won't be a pushover. You made a mistake of confronting us head-on." The others got ready. The Magician did a close look around and started to laugh.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

**And laughed.**

The laugh, like before, was monotone. Never went up or down in pitch.

"Come forward!"

* * *

The Retestament. Where all things that are not within shall vanish in the light, and those contained shall start again.

* * *

**MUSIC: Persona 4: I'll Face Myself (Boss Battle)** (Why not P3? Couldn't find a good theme.)

Kenpachi came out like a wild animal. The Magician, despite having magic, still had to block the attacks with both knives. Two hands extended from the backside with knives to block both Sora and Ukitake, as they attempted to attack. Two hands from both sides came out to the offense. All eight arms defended and attacked the two captains and Sora.

The Magician exploded, creating two clones. Kenpachi managed to slice though one, but the two halves each became their own clone. They grabbed Kenpachi by his arms, to have the original Magician shoot him with a fiery arrow. Kenpachi withstood it and slammed the two smaller clones together, putting them back together. Komamura punched the newly fixed clone, knocking it into the ground.

"He can clone himself?" He scoffed. "Whatever. I can still kill you regardless of how many you are!"

"Then start!" Komamura yelled under the entire mob of clones. Yusuke held his fist close to the tangled dome of Magicians, and blew them away with a single wave of his spirit energy. After he helped Komamura up, the mob formed into four Magicians. They each charged a giant ball of magical energy, and they threw it together, creating a giant bowling ball. The three stood their ground, and got pushed back by the giant ball. Together, the three of them picked up the ball…

…and had their legs shot by magic bullets. The ball exploded.

Unohana rushed over, avoided an arrow, and started to heal. "Sora-san, I need cover!" Sora burnt one of the clones with Fire magic, and stood near Unohana, circling around her to protect her. "I need some time. This is new to me." Sora nodded, and knocked two knife stabs away. He called down lightning, and struck two clones.

"Fool. All of you are fools." One of the clones said.

"Shut up." Renji swung around, cleaving though several heads. He knocked some flying clones, and jumped out of the way of a fireball. Ichigo stabbed though the caster and swung around, sending the corpse into another clone. Luffy's strategy mostly involved throwing around clones to bash others. Syl carefully preserved his energy, he used the hit-and-run strategy.

Ukitake stood back, somehow tried already. Soifon killed three clones at once and approached him. "You okay?" Ukitake fell down, face first, and vanished. She jumped back in surprise

"One down."

Goku followed the voice, hoping it to find the real Magician. He couldn't find one, and got swallowed up by a swarm. He broke free and flew up and fired off a few ki bombs into the continuous growing amount of clones. The clones didn't explode, they just simply got knocked back a few feet and retaliated with their own magic bombs. Goku landed and rammed though a crowd.

Mayuri had stood back from the fight and watched. He kept his eye on the original the entire time to find the weakness. The Magician's clones didn't pay any attention to him, he looked creepy rather than a threat. Mayuri noticed several things, the original never backed off from a fight, he never wasted more than a minute on one fighter, and created clones to be used as shields.

Then he saw it. A weak spot. He walked over to Soifon, who just snapped the neck of a clone. He tapped her shoulder and said,

"Hey. I know where to kill him."

"It is…" The Magician replaced Soifon and flicked Mayuri. He vanished.

"Zaraki Kenpachi. You shall be next."

"Like hell, I will!" Kenpachi threw his entire weight into a huge swing, destroying an entire crowd. He felt a presence behind him, and stabbed in the direction, killing another. More came after him, and he dealt with them as they came. They started to overcome him, but he continued to fight on, regardless of numbers and sizes. Eventually, he got swallowed; laughing his way down.

"Three. I expected more."

Syl had decided to follow Mayuri's lead and take down the original Magician. His right eye glowed with Spirit power; tracking the original became easy when the original got colored in blue. He followed him though the crowd, weaving and cutting though the crowd of look-likes. The Magician had been tracking Hitsugaya, the next captain on his list. The said captain had been freezing entire mobs at once, allowing for some breathing room. However, smashing the icicles just freed the clones.

The original approached Hitsugaya, face-to-face. Surprised, he flash-froze the Magician right in front of him, but it only gave a full three-seconds of freedom. Thankfully, that was all of the time that Syl needed to catch up. Placing his sword back in his pant's loop, he held his hands behind him, drawing energy. He long-jumped, covering the area between him and his enemy. The Magician broke free of his cold prison, prepared to attack Hitsugaya, but he turned around,

"SPIRIT PHONEIX LANCE!" Syl clapped his hands together, with the energy shooting forward like a lance, piercing right though the chest of the original. Syl landed on his face, the Magician on his back. Hitsugaya pulled Syl up to his feet.

"Thanks." Syl said.

"I should be thanking you." Hitsugaya replied. "Better yet, look! All of the clones are gone!" There was only one Magician, and he was down.

"Hey, I'm awesome! No need to thank me!" Syl laughed.

Renji wasn't celebrating. The women's voice was talking to him.

"You're not done yet."

"Why not?" Renji thought. He had a feeling that if he actually used his voice, he would look like a mad man, considering he hadn't totally grasped the whole situation he got wrangled in.

"You have to be the one to finish off each Arcana." In his mind, the card of the Magician glowed with a red light. "Is it glowing blue?"

"…no."

"Just checking. Blue means victory."

"Red means life, I guess?"

"No. Red means danger, like it always has been."

The Magician rose up, twirling up. His head rolled around, creaking the whole 180. He turned around to face his enemies. His hat had fallen off; his head was like a cotton swab, yet down to continue hiding his face. Hitsugaya and Syl were the closest to him, so they quickly tried to hack him down, but a field just knocked both of their weapons out of their hands.

"Y**O**_**U **__F_**O**_**OL**_S…_**Y**_**OU **_O_P_**EN**_**ED **TH_**E **__D_**O**_O__**RS **_**T**_O __**DAMNATION…**_"

Hitsugaya ran over to his and grabbed his zanpakutō, but the very instant, he vanished. The Magician' whispered.

"_fine. i shall show you how the arcana truly fight._"

His face rose. The best way to describe his face is to say the lack of. The eyes and the infinity mark of the Magician card were the only things there.

The whole body shook with violence. Twenty arms literally exploded from all over the body, each with a knife. Each arm was three times as long as before and literally extended to the sky. His hat levitated back his head and tilted down, once again hiding his face. Each of the arms extended down and held each knife close to his enemies' throats. His body grew double in size.

"_**The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate..."**_

His voice went up a notch; it had a long echo.

_**Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope.**_

The knives retracted, as if to give them room.

_**Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...**_

He raised his normal hand up, Shakespeare-style.

_**To attain one's dream, one must require a stern will and unfailing determination to push though. **_

He attacked.

* * *

The Retestament. Where 21 beings that represent humanity shall come forth, and deliver the rites.

* * *

The Magician came down with all knives at once. Everyone either rolled out of the way or blocked. Those who blocked had a second knife to the chest, and those who rolled got chopped across their faces. The Magician coordinated each of his attacks with absolute accuracy; as if he could predict what they were going to do and react accordingly.

Shunsui was still addled from his drinking, and had been supported by Yoh the entire time. Amidamaru had managed to wake up Yoh in time for the meal and the fight. Shunsui had been thrown to a far-off corner after the Magician transformed so Yoh could at least have some mobility. He snored away.

Of course he was a easy target. Four down!

Yusuke grabbed the nearest arm and with all of his strength, yanked the arm off. He grabbed the knife and threw it at the Magician's head. It went right though the head and didn't come back out. The arm regenerated along with the knife. Yusuke jumped up and grabbed two arms. He landed, and with twice his strength, yanked both clear; this time ignoring the fallen knives.

And the knives hit both of his sides.

Unohana got out of the massacre to heal herself and the others who backed out. She was the first to notice that Shunsui was gone. She looked back, Komamura was ripping arms out by the handful, five at a time. Arms kept coming out by the second, more each time. He kept pulling out arms, regardless. Ichigo (Who wasn't given enough screen time.) went straight at the Magician. He hacked away at the body, but every time his sword touched the mass, the cut just instantly mended.

"Gramps!" He shouted as he got dragged back by three knives. "Got any plans?" He ducked under the same three knives and sliced the arms. He picked up the knives and threw them back at the Magician, it was better than having them attack him.

"We can't retreat, we lost too many captains, and we can't pierce its skin. It may seem hopeless, but we need to press on. Find the weak spot and exploit it!" He drew up some fire and burned the entire body, hoping to find some sort of area that the Magician had been hiding. The arms took the full blow of the fire, and several of some burnt off. The knives flew back to the Magician's body, which now tripled in size.

"Yamamoto-taicho!" Komamura shouted, under a barrage of arms. He kept pulling them out, but now he barely enough room to move his arm in the way to pull out anything. "I need some help!" Byakuya ran over and started to hack away at the mass of arms that tried to pull Komamura away. The sword barely made a cut, even when Link and Ichigo joined in. Eventually, Komamura's arms were swallowed up, and he got dragged away, now looking nothing like the 7th Division Captain. He got sucked into the mass that is the Magician.

Byakuya held in front of him his zanpakutō and quietly said, "Scatter."

Nothing happened. Byakuya quietly stepped back, avoiding ten knives. He looked at zanpakutō, but nothing seemed out of place. He said it again, but his Shikai didn't activate. The Magician laughed, and it echoed all around. All of the arms raised in laughter, like a villain from the 1930's.

"**FOOLS. FOOLS. FOOLS. FOOLS. FOOLS. FOOLS. FOOLS. FOOLS. FOOLS. FOOLS. FOOLS."**

"**YOU THOUGHT I WOULDN'T THINK OF STOPING YOU FROM USING YOUR POWERS? I'M SURPRISED YOU HAVEN'T TRIED BEFORE. YOU THINK YOU'RE DEALING WITH A REGULAR ENEMY? I'M FAR FROM THE REGULAR MAN OR HOLLOW. IN SPEAKING OF WHICH…"**

He snapped his fingers, and the field blocking the Hollows disappeared. The Hollow pack (Who almost went to sleep) burst in, and got grabbed by a empty arm. They got swallowed like Komamura did, but they came out, they looked dark and even more empty. They rushed at the remaining heroes…

…and into a several bombs, placed by Link earlier.

"**WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? WHY ARE YOU FIGHTING A LOST CAUSE?"** Syl stood even straighter than before.

"We're the Heroic League! Lost causes are our specialty!" He shouted with a heroic gusto. The rest just looked at him with the same thought. _What._

Even the giant Magician took a minute to process that. He decided to direct his efforts towards the League, seeing that he wasn't after them, and they're a serious threat.

Naruto read the Magician's movements, and several kunais flew in the direction of the arms, going straight into the palms. He looked up, and saw a rain of knives coming down. He rolled to the side and continued to run away from the endless arms and knives. He jumped back, and ran along the arms. Two of his clones joined him, charging up aRasengan. He grabbed it, and threw it right at the head. It exploded, and the scream of the Magician pieced the air.

Yusuke followed up with a Reigun to the head. The screaming continued. Luffy grabbed a spinning Sonic; with Mario torching Sonic. Luffy launched the burning hedgehog right at the head. Instead of going though, Sonic hit something solid, and the screaming reached a new high. Syl turned his sword into a Spirit spear and threw it up, with Link firing a arrow to propel it up, piercing though one 'eye'. Goku grabbed the sword, pulled it out, and then right hooked the Magician, creating a hole in the eye. Sora aimed his Keyblade, and a beam of light went though the other eye. Yoh, now totally awake, gave a huge boost to Ichigo, getting him a few feet above the head. He bought his zanpakutō down, cutting though the whole way down.

"Woo!" Syl shouted as the two halves fell to their respect sides.

And vanished.

Renji looked into his mind; at the Magician card. It glowed a lighter red. He needed to do the final blow.

Rukia (Who had been held back by her brother, fearing her safety) ran forward at the area that the Magician used to stand. She turned around several times. "Where did he go?" She shouted. "Can anyone…"

"Above you."

Everybody looked up, save for Byakuya, whom fell into a portal. Rukia tried to save him, but as soon as his fingers went in, the portal closed.

"I honestly believe I wouldn't have a problem…with you. I thought I could take the Gotei 13 on my own. I guess…I was wrong." The Magician, back to his normal form, descended down, and fell to his knees. His breathing was heavy. Soifon came up to him, and pointed her zanpakutō at his throat. "Surrender.' She said.

The Magician looked up. "Never." A snap of his fingers, and the entire court were crowed with clones, leaving a small circle for the League and the Gotei to stand in.

The Magician flew up, as if to watch.

"I'm the Magician. I can move forward when no one else can. I shall never surrender to lesser beings such as you."

"Arggh! I'm sick of this already!" Goku shouted, interrupting the Magician's little dialogue. "Luffy!" He shouted to said person as he walked over to.

"Yeah?" Luffy sensed something scary in Goku's voice.

"Grab me by my legs. And swing me. Everyone else? Get down!" He yelled at everyone, and they followed. The clones didn't react. The original wondered what they were up to. Goku levitated a little, and Luffy grabbed him and started to swing him around. Luffy didn't understand at first, but then remembered what the two did years ago.

"Gum…Gum…" Luffy said, with his regular smile on his face.

"KA…ME…HA…ME…"

The clones took notice of the growing energy in Goku's hand and mobbed over each other to get to the two.

"HA!" Both heroes shouted as a massive beam of ki erupted from Goku's hands. Combined with Luffy's spinning, the Kamehameha tore though the clones. They tried to get to Goku and Luffy, but they kept tripping over each other before annihilation. The original looked on; regardless without his eyes. He couldn't understand why they think they were going to win. He was a unstoppable object. And yet, they thought they were the unmovable object.

He never surrendered.

Unohana got up. She took a look around (Like everyone else.) and found the courtyard to be littered with corpses. This was barely, most of the clones disintegrated. The original had disappeared from his spot in the sky. She quickly helped up the others and healed any bruises or cuts.

"Unohana-taicho! Look out!" She heard Yoh shout…and then she saw nothing.

The Magician dodged the array of spells that Sora fired off, but barely dodged Goku's fist. Yusuke grabbed him, and threw at Mario, who started to pummel him with burning fists. The Magician teleported back, only for his back to kicked in by Sonic. Ichigo The rest of the League ganged up, and just beat the Magician into pulp.

No, seriously. He turned into pulp.

"That's…a little overboard." Yoh said, taking very shallow breaths.

"At least we won." Sonic replied, sitting down.

"…now what?" Ichigo asked. "Where's the missing people? Where's the Assistant Captains? Where's the Captains? Are they dead?"

"_**far from it."**_ The voice of the Magician seem to come from the pulp.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Yusuke said.

"_**i'm the magician. I never give up. why should i lose to you, those who are few and new?"**_

"We're the Heroic League. We don't care about your opinion." Syl announced.

"…is that going to be a recurring thing?" Asked Ichigo.

"I don't care about your opinion." Syl said with a huge smile on his face.

The Magician remained silent again. His pulp moved together and re-formed the body. He called upon the last remaining knives he had had and gave them to the last six arms he had. The League turned around to notice.

"**i won't lose. i will win. give up."**

"No." Goku stepped forward. "Go away. Don't come back. You never have to surrender. Just leave. We won't stop." The League, despite being the fight lasting for longer than it should have, stood together, with Ichigo standing among them. The Magician rose his many arms…

…and teleported off.

"Coward!" Shouted Yamamoto. "You coward! Come and fight!"

"**Okay.**" A small fist punched into the face of Yamamoto knocking him down.

The fist of Rukia. Who's eyes now matched the Magician's now missing eyes.

"**This body isn't perfect…but it will do.**" Rukia!Magician folded her arms His/her voice was a mixture of both his and Rukia's . "**You won't harm a friend, would you?**" He/she laughed and approached the tired and wounded Renji. "**What about it, hmm? Kill the enemy, and kill a friend?**" The annoying laugh again. "**Now you can kill me. If her soul dies, I die. There is no other way.**"

Renji laughed. Rukia!Magician turned her head to the side, in wonderment.

"**What's so funny?**" He/she asked.

"You're little joyride is going to end early and hard, man. You think you're going to own that body?" Renji asked.

Rukia!Magician blinked. "**What are you implying…**"

"GET. OUT."

Rukia's real voice came out, and she punched herself. The Magician side apparently has gotten a headache.

"GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT, GET THE HELL OUT!"

Rukia continued to pummel herself, but the Magician seem to be the only one in pain. Finally, Rukia's hand went down into her throat and pulled out the soul of the Magician and threw it far away; landing with a _squee._ Rukia choked for a bit, getting on her knees. Renji helped her up.

"_oooo…_That tasted like burnt coffee. So, what happened?" She asked.

"You punched Yamamoto."

"I did? That's bad."

"Say, where did he go?"

Yamamoto had gotten up during Rukia!Magician's speech, but had…

"Wait wait wait!" Renji said. He pulled out his copy of the letter. "I thought he would only go after the captains in order!"

"**CHANGE…OF PLANS. YOU FORCED MY HAND."**

"But about me? I escaped, so you failed anyway!" Renji shouted to the sky. He quickly checked the card in his mind. The red had nearly disappeared. They were winning, but so was he. Only one Gotei 13 captain remained and Soifon began to check all around her, to prevent any attacks.

"**YOU HAD HELP. YOU NEVER WENT TO MY PRISON. BUT I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU. YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING.**"

"But I CAN!" Soifon shouted, attacking the area right in front of her. A ripple later, and Soifon had stuck her blade half-way though the Magician's right vanished again. (Despite not surrendering, he sure ran a lot.) Another ripple, and the dislocated arm fell to the ground. The Magician flickered in and out and finally fell to the ground in a pool in black blood.

"Give up!" Soifon shouted. "I know that you're still alive. and finally fell to the ground in a pool in black blood.

"Give up!" Soifon shouted. "I know that you're still alive. You're immortal. So as long as you continue to fight, I continue to chop off all of your limbs. We'll see how immortal you are." She wiped the blood off her zanpakutō and threw it to the ground. The body faded down, leaving only the hat and cloak-like thing. The severed arm remained here.

"You're not kidding me. I can tell by your arm. Give up, I can handle you!"

"**REALLY? SUFFER!"**

The arm grew back, but not to a body, the body grew from the arm. It grabbed Soifon by the neck and lifted her up. The others tried to rush to her aid, but a magic field kept them far away. They pounded and hacked and did everything they could to help the last Gotei 13 captain. She choked and tried to pry away the thin fingers, but the Magician had very good upper body strength.

"**YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ONE THE WILLS? THE MAGICIAN, THE ONE WHO REPRESENTS THE WILL TO GO ON? HAHAHAHA. I WILL SEND YOU TO MY PRISON ALIVE, BUT I DESIRE A LITTLE REVENGE!"**

"_kcak…you…t-think-k…"_

"**QUIET. I TIRE OF YOU. FAREWELL."**

He dropped her and decided to send her away by enclosing her inside of himself. His body expanded and Soifon started to get dragged in. The Magician laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

And looked down.

Soifon was still there.

And yet he captured someone.

He looked around. They looked mortified. And then he noticed something. A hole in his forcefield.

A blue light surrounding it. Syl had been sucked in.

The Magician got angry. He had room enough to fit just the Gotei 13 Captains and Assistant Captains. Now he had only room to fit one more person. He needed to put in Soifon, the Captain mattered more than the Assistant Captain, regardless that the said A.C. could pull off Bankai. But that didn't matter. He locked the use of Shikai and Bankai. Renji may had the ability to kill him, but Renji was far behind him.

But know what? He lost. The Heroic League jut beat him twice, and now they had a better reason. Soifon wasn't going to his prison, one of the League members would take her place. He lost. Fighting back was useless. The League wasn't going to give up. He could only be killed by Renji, and he was going to have a good chance to get him with the League pummeling him.

He lost.

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

LOST

He leapt at the League, using Soifon as a spring board. Mario pulled out his hammer, and whacked the Magician right in his face. He landed near Soifon, who kicked him in his chest, then retreated to the League. The Magician got back up, regardless that his body was nearly destroyed, his soul cracked, his powers diminished and just plain tried.

Despite him being a being that was 'will', twenty-two people beat him. He lead them into his trap, and they sprung it all right, but they reserved the situation. They trapped him. He captured the people he wanted, but now the same number of people are after him.

What else…

"BREAK THOUGH!"

"Yamamoto-taicho?" Renji knew that voice.

The portal that had bought the Magician here, now had been opened by hands. Komamura and Ōmaeda's hands appeared, holding each side to open it. Yamamoto's voice could be heard.

"ALMOST THERE!"

And finally, the Captains and the Assistant Captains all landed on the ground. The Magician just sighed.

And decided to fall to the ground. He just couldn't take it anymore.

"Huh." Kenpachi said. "He couldn't take it."

Mayuri got up and shoved off Nemu. "He may be immortal, but sure not invincible. Or for that matter, smart."

Yamamoto assisted Chōjirō to his feet. "You all right, Sasakibe-san?"

"Thank you, Yamamoto-taicho." The two shook hands. Everyone got reacquainted with each other.

"NEMU!" Mayuri yelled right in her ear.

"Yes, Mayuri-taicho?" She said without much interest, like she always did.

"Come with me! You're little vacation is over! You got ton of chores to do!"

"Yes, Mayuri-taicho." Said Nemu, speaking her second and last line in the chapter.

"Ken-chan !" Yachiru called out. She leaped over and hugged her captain and swung around his neck to latch onto his back.

"Good to have you back, partner! Ha!" He started to laugh. "I can't believe that this guy thought that we would just give up!" Yachiru started to laugh alongside him. Her stomach then growled. "I'm hungry."

"Don't worry! There is going to be a huge feast! Right, Matsumoto?"

"Yeah! With lots and lots of sake…" Matsumoto looked behind her, and yes, Hitsugaya gave her the look. The look that Matsumoto knew very well.

"Err…So, Captain! I guess I should get a broom and clean up…"

"Finish your paperwork."

"But I was gone all week!"

"Your paperwork **BEFORE** your kidnapping. It needs to be done."

"But what about…"

"NOW, Matsumoto."

Hisagi laid on his back, sleeping. He decided to get some sleep while he waited for the rescue, to burn time.

Shunsui was also sleeping, but in a drunken stupor. Nanao, like always, kicked him in the spot where he still had some sort of feeling. He rolled, and raised his head.

"Ehh…Nanao-chan! You've returned! But why are your glasses still broken?" She kicked him again, this time in the face. This time, she allowed him to stand up, though he barely managed to pull the energy needed to withstand standing. "Nanao-chan…come on! What's the problem with a little drink…" She just walked over, flicked him, and he returned to the ground.

"Why do I have the feeling that I need to a lot of cleaning up back at the division?" She grabbed her captain by his left hand and dragged him away. "I really need to look into locking the wine cabinet." Shunsui tried to object, but now he couldn't process and use complete words.

Iba got to his feet and walked over to his unconscious captain. Instead of using brute force, he pulled out a doggie treat (Just because) and lightly dropped it into Komamura's mouth. The feeling of bacon and chicken, despite the size, woke up the giant captain.

"Thanks." After swallowing, he tasted something else." Wait, how long has that treat been in your pocket?"

Iba tapped his head and tried to recall. "Well, I got caught last week, according to the others, and I did plan to give it to you, but you sent me on a five day mission…so say twelve days?"

Komamura quietly whimpered and went to the nearest bathroom.

Byakuya quietly got up and brushed himself off. "Renji."

"Yes, captain?"

"We need training. Empty the schedule, and fix it."

"Right away!"

"And also…that didn't happen."

"I understand."

Hitsugaya walked over and kindly helped up Momo.

"Thank you, Toshiro-taicho."

"Please don't call me that…"

"You're blushing…"

"Please stop…"

Unohana looked over Isane, still sleeping. She quietly woke her up. She yawned.

"Good morning Captain! I don't know how I got here, but I didn't have any nightmares! I'm ready for duty!"

"Good!"

(Geez, I'm falling into a slump again.)

Kira decided to go back the 3rd Division Headquarters to get things back on track.

The 2nd Division captains decided to walk around the grounds to find any other traps. Ōmaeda went first, wanting his beloved captain to get a bit of rest.

And all of this happened in under a minute.

* * *

If Renji had sort of experience in dealing with the Arcana, he may had gone back and stabbed the Magician in the back, finally killing him. But he continued to forget that fact.

The Magician raised his head only slightly. Nobody was paying any attention to him, but to each other. He remained perfectly still. He couldn't understand or feel fear, but if he could, he would have left to try again at a later time. He may had been nearly invincible, but his mind had been seriously deteriorated by the near endless amount of blows he received.

He lost.

No. No. Don't go back there. He needed to get over that. He needed a plan to save his original plan. All of his targets were right there. In one group. All he needed was a distraction to turn their backs and put them away. But what could be big enough to serve in his revenge plan.

The bomb. He stopped it when everyone came out.

It was still there.

Silently, and keeping his movements as subtle as possible, he reached into himself, and found the switch.

One flip…

_...and boom.

* * *

_

Everyone turned around to see a huge fireball coming out of the top of the 1st Division. Roof tiles rained down, window shards; both small and large; went flying in all directions, and the smell of burning wood entered the air, unwelcome as it may be. Everybody turned their backs to the Magician.

Good. He needed just a second. He opened his chest…

…and something went in.

* * *

The explosion went off while Renji had been heading over to the 6th Division. He raced back and saw the Magician getting up, right behind the crowd of the Gotei 13. He reached for his zanpakutō, but a gentle hand stopped him. He looked to his side, and the lady who lead him into this was there. He looked back, and saw the same thing that he saw when he tried to draw.

Time had been frozen. He looked up. The giant fireball remained in the sky, like he had been teleported into a photo. He looked back.

"Yes. I froze time to once again help you." She let go.

"All right. How exactly do I kill this guy? Is it a special move? Do I just stab him though the chest? We thrown everything we can do right now, with him banning most of our powers!"

"Not him. The entire macroverse."

"Macroverse? That's not even a word!"

"It is. Just not a well-know word. The macroverse is everything. Every world, every galaxy, every universe, every multiverse, every dimension, alternate or original. Your world just got chosen first."

"It gets bigger and more complicated by the second. And somehow, I'm in the middle."

"Back to the power issue. When Syl traveled to Hyrule, he opened the entire macroverse to everyone. But in order for that to work, the macroverse balanced everything. The order of power stayed, but had been taxed accordingly. You will have to retrain yourself to get back your Shikai and Bankai."

"What! I just meet the guy, now I want to kill him!"

"Doesn't matter. People already traveled across the macroverse, but Syl made the biggest splash. Considering that he is the first normal human to travel."

"…okay, moving on. The Magician."

"The card of the Fool. You still have it?"

Renji nodded and pulled it out. The card sparkled. His zanpakutō also sparkled. The card and the zanpakutō both started to shine brightly. Too much, as Renji had to protect his eyes. When he could open his eyes, the Fool had disappeared. He looked down to his zanpakutō, which now had a coat of the same light.

The lady pointed with one hand, and held five fingers with another. Renji took his zanpakutō with both of his hands, and ran out. Time unfroze, and the Magician opened his chest to capture his prey. Renji aimed…

* * *

When the Magician opened his eyes, he saw that everyone was there. Well, not Renji. He forgot about him. He had went off in one direction to do some business. Yet, he felt that something went into his chest. Was it Renji, who ran back to help? No, he would have know.

Then a sharp pain came.

Renji's zanpakutō had pierced right though his matter. He unlocked his power. The power to challenge the essences of humanity.

And now…he was truly defeated.

He looked behind him. Yep, Renji had got him. He looked forward. The Gotei 13 and the Heroic League had decided to watch him die rather than watching the destruction of their HQ.

Humanity. Living or dead. They invited death. They liked to watch others die.

He smiled, in spite. He would go back, restore his mind and body and wait. He did his job. At least the one that all of the Arcana had to do. The Gotei 13 was just for fun. He did some recon, so now he could tell his others about Renji, the Gotei 13, and the Heroic League.

The Heroic League. They're might be able….

And he faded away. Along with the clouds, returning the night to normal.

But…what was normal now?

* * *

"It's settled?" Asked Yamamoto the next day.

"Yes. I arranged things to be gone for quite for some time. Kon wouldn't cause too much problems." Ichigo (Who doesn't get enough screen time.) said.

Things had quickly settled down. The night was still young, and the Assistant Captains had time to get plenty of rest during their captivity, so all but Yachiru (Who went in to raid the candy jar) got to work cleaning up the bomb damage. The feast was moved to tomorrow night, but the League wanted to move out, giving their places to the Assistant Captains.

"Have you checked in with your friends?"

"Yeah, they'll help out in the human world."

Yamamoto held his head down. He sighed. "I'm not the kind to ask this, but are you sure? You might not come back."

"The whole thing is optional. If things get too hairy, I'll come back."

Yamamoto got up, and went into his desk. He opened a drawer and withdrew a small pendant of the Gotei 13 symbol. "This will allow you to get in contact with us. If you need help, advice or talk, just say the captain or assistant captain's name and they will get in contact with you as soon as they can."

"Ah. The Gotei 13 cellphone."

"In a way."

Ichigo put it his pocket. He bowed. "Thank you, Yamamoto-taicho."

"Remember, come in if you feel like."

Link was waiting outside. When the doors closed, he spoke. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

"Well, too bad. Syl wanted to explore around, so we have to wait."

Ichigo sighed. "How long does this take?"

"Depends. How big is the village?"

"…well, better say your good-byes to everyone."

* * *

Aoi-Kogane-Kenkon (Blue-Gold-Universe).

Aoi-Kogane-Seken (Blue-Gold-World).

Aoi-Kogane-Kyohaku (Blue-Gold-Star).

The names of Syl's new swords.

Syl, looking back on his past adventures, realized that Black Wood needed to be retired for a bit. It just didn't cut. (No pun intended.) So he decided that his first trip was to pick up some new blades. Katanas, for the coolness. A backstreet blacksmith had a good deal on three swords. Universe was the longest, at 27 inches. World at 20 inches. Star was at a short 10 inches, but hey, a knife isn't supposed to long.

He put away the new swords into his infinite bag, he might as well keep Black Wood on his person. He didn't want to put his baby into the bag.

He stocked up on some items for the road. Generic RPG items, stuff like that.

And then he saw the elephant in the town.

Valentine's Day was right around the corner. The shop was colored the Valentine's colors; pink, red, purple. It was too hard to not look away. People either walked in to look and/or buy, or just stared for a minute and moved on. Nobody had any doubts that is this the most out of place shop in the entire Soul Society. Syl pondered for a bit.

"Thinking about finding the special something for that special something?" A deep voice from behind Syl came forward. The man looked like a worker, dirty and muscular. He laid his right forearm on Syl's shoulder.

"Do I…know you?" Syl properly asked.

"I heard about you. You're one of the guys who helped me." Syl took a second good look at the man. Something clicked.

"The first victim, right?"

"Yep! Hamada Goro is my name! I really should thank you, but I REALLY should thank you for saving for saving my cousin." He showed a new picture of her. She was wearing a pink kimono and carrying a pink parasol. Her smile warmed Syl up. Goro put the photo in his Syl's green shirt pocket. "Keep it. She asked me to give it to one of the heroes." Syl tried to object, but Goro's eyes and face told him to keep it.

"Thanks…I guess. It's weird, getting gifts from complete strangers."

"New, huh?"

"Yeah. It has only been a month." Syl shook the back of his head, embarrassed.

"Huh. Saved by a rookie. That's new." Goro laughed. "But it's time for my gift! I know what the ladies like, so I get to buy you something from that shop down yonder!" He pointed to the elephant. Syl got taken back. He couldn't get something for anyone on any world but his own. Celibacy on all non-home worlds.

But then he remembered Soifon.

"Yeah. You see this girl…"

* * *

Renji finally got a break from practice and now he had to deal with the lady again. She did promise him some answers.

"What are the Arcanas?"

"Humanity. They represent different sides of humanity. So, there for, humanity."

"What is their plans?"

"The Retestament. You heard about it. But only they know what it is."

"The moon."

"Asking in a statement, huh. The moon you saw. The Arcana's mark. It can only be seen if a Arcana is on a world. But only one are allowed, and the Magician won't return for a long time."

"When will…"

"…the next come. Later. This wouldn't last just a year, but rather many years."

"Ergh. How long…I mean a estimate."

"The max. At least fifteen years."

"FIFTEEN YEARS? Why was I chosen?"

"Because."

"Dammit, I want a real answer."

"I'm sorry. But not everything I can explain."

Renji held his anger in. "Fine. I'm out of questions, for now."

"Check your right pocket." Renji sighed, and listlessly went into his pocket. Two cards were now there. The Fool and the Magician. "These cards will help you handle the next Arcana, when the time comes. I will say one more thing. The next arcana will appear during this year. And you will be done for at least one year." A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Actually, I do have one more question." Asked Renji.

"The League, right. They can be trusted completely."

"No." He waved his hand. "Am…I…supposed to join… them?"

"Nervous."

"No."

The smile went away. She waved bye, and out she went.

"HEY!" Renji sat down on the ground, tired from the information and the training. He wiped his head and rolled his head back. All that got him was things that didn't help him that much and rather gave him a headache. He got up and walked over to where she was before she vanished. Damn. He forgot to ask for her name. She probably would have said, "_not yet._"

And then he noticed something. A business card. He picked it up and read it.

"_The Empress must fall first."_

Renji just stared at the card. He wondered.

* * *

Soifon decided to not see off the League, with the whole sexual assault thing and all. Ōmaeda had been sent to the infirmary for the toe stub from hitting his toe on a rock. (He claimed that the rock was rolling right at the others and he stopped it.) So after seeing him admitted, she started to travel back to her Division to check for any damage.

And Syl was standing there. Soifon growled, and drew his zanpakutō, ready to slice his head or force him to a cell. Heroic immunity or not.

Syl bowed, holding a heart-shape box out with both hands.

"Soifon-taicho! !" He tossed the gift into her hands, and dashed off. She barely had time to attack him, yet alone to register the whole thing.

She put away her zanpakutō, but sat on a bench on whenever to open the gift. She read the note.

_Dear Soifon-senpai,_

_ I would like to apologize for my actions earlier. I won't say it just was a accident. I can't stress how sorry I am. I can't just say I'm sorry, it's has to just right. Apologizing is something that has always been a hit and miss with me. I made mistakes before, but nothing like this. So here: Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Birthday._

_ ~Syl_

She sighed and opened the box. Her eyes went right open.

Chocolate bees and cats and a bee wristring. Probably cost about thirty dollars.

And yet, she tasted one of the chocolates. It was good.

She smiled.

"All right…Syl. I forgive you."

Syl jumped from around the corner and went in the direction of the ship shouting 'I'M GOING TO LIVE!" Soifon shook her head. She held onto the wristring, not wanting to put on a cheesy item. But the chocolate was good. She would share it later with Youruichi -sensei later, once she returned. She walked to a window and watched the League ran into the portal that would take them back.

And she decided to wait for them to come back. Worth the time.

* * *

_END OF EPIC 11._

_COMING SOON (HOPEFULLY):_

_EPIC 12: THE BOUNTY HUNTER SAVIOR

* * *

_

_This took a while. 50 pages! At least 20,000 words .Took me a while, but Happy Birthday, Soifon!_

_My style of writing is like cheating at a maze. I go though it with a simple plan, but when I reach a corner, I find a way to get around it. It doesn't explain most of the drops of writing talent, but that's how I see it and end up. I'm sorry._

_Please review, like always. _


	13. The Bounty Hunter Savior

HEROIC LEAGUE EPIC 12: THE BOUNTY HUNTER SAVIOR

**Theme Song: Traveling Far From The Past by Sylvin Wallace**

_I know what it is like,_

_To live alone._

_Family gone for good, and friends too._

_But, yet, I'm…_

_READY TO START MY NEW LIFE!_

_The door is open,_

_I'm ready to go!_

_A brand new day is waiting…_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together, we shall…_

…_push forward!_

_Our pasts live inside of us,_

_But they're more like nightmares._

_But yet,_

_We can't forget…_

…_the place we come from._

_Even if we can't go there again!_

_The gateway is ajar,_

_And we're off!_

_Tomorrow is coming,_

_Me and my friends are moving forward!_

_Together we shall…_

…_fly far!_

_Yesterday…_

_All my troubles came on that day…_

_They're here to stay…_

_..but..._

_I must remember one thing…_

_Never forget…_

…_never forgive._

_The path is ready,_

_And off we go!_

_Next day is just around the corner,_

_But I don't care!_

_Just me and my friends…_

…_go on!_

* * *

_Well, Ichigo didn't get enough screen time last time. So now he is!_

_Also, not to sound like Chris-Chan, Syl is not a Mary-Sue. He's a PARDOY of a Mary-Sue. He may go into Mary-Sue territory at times, but I try really hard to prevent that._

_Update (5/21/11): GOD…DAMNIT. MY LAPTOP BROKE. AGAIN! Power plug issue. And general laziness. _

_GOD DAMMIT._

_WARNING: LLOOONNNNGGGGG chapter ahead. 50+ pages!_

* * *

"So, let me put the pieces together." Ichigo said.

"Go ahead." Yusuke replied back as he put the ship into cruise control. He wasn't too happy.

"We…don't know where we're going."

"Yes."

"We…don't even know where we are."

"Correct."

"We…will look like idiots if we go back."

"How would I know? It's your world!"

"I didn't get enough lines last chapter."

"Once again, correct." Yusuke turned around in the chair. "Do you have anything useful to say? Anything that can help us? At all?"

Ichigo shook his head. Yusuke just stared at him for a while, then turned around to take control again.

Two whole days had passed since they left the Soul Society with the 11th member in tow. Syl had announced who is the 12th member, Samus Aran. Link and Mario were the only ones who knew her, yet only knew where the planets she fought on were. Her home planet no longer existed. The only lead they had was Galactic Federation, and it was doubtful they're just going to give up the location on one of their best bounty hunters. All the other League members were discussing ways they could get the information they needed.

Ichigo's friends were more than happy to cover for him while he was exploring the universe and investigated the Arcana. Of course, the mysterious force backing the League did help smooth things over in the world, allowing Ichigo to leave without problems. For some reason, Ichigo no longer needed a gigai to go around, now he could just become his Shinigami form whenever he felt like. Kon was immediately disappointed; how was he going to get the girls now?

Yusuke growled. An asteroid belt laid about ten miles ahead. He slowed down and maneuvered though the belt. He could barely see anything else though the asteroids. He had to stop at times to align the ship up with openings. This was taking too long. He grabbed the radio receiver.

"You okay, Yusuke?" Asked Ichigo. Yusuke ignored his friend and pressed a button.

"Anyone, please respond." Some buzzing.

"Yeah. Yoh here."

"Yoh? We got some asteroids here. Could you do us a favor and remove them?"

"Okay!" The radio static ended.

"Is that a good idea?" Asked Ichigo. "I mean, we ARE in unknown territory. I heard about the pirates, so what happens if we get spotted?"

"WE'RE not going to get spotted." Yusuke retorted back. "We're in the middle of a large asteroid belt. Who's going to see or follow?"

"People who prey after people with that thought pattern."

"Whatever." A loud, long hum could be heard up above. Yusuke looked at one of the screens. A digital picture of a turret appeared, along with a building energy meter. It rose from a red low to a green high. Yoh's face appeared on the next screen. He gave a thumbs up. Yusuke returned the sign, and aimed the front of the ship at the tightest bunch. He flipped three switches, setting up the shield to protect from any debris.

"Firing in…five…four…three…"

"DO IT!"

"FIRING!" Several rounds of lasers hit the asteroids, and after a minute of fire, the asteroids were either smaller rocks or dust. Several of the small asteroids hit the ship's shield and bounced off. Yoh switched off the turret and descended down. Ichigo was waiting for him.

"This isn't going to end well." He said.

"How?" Yoh asked.

"That I can't explain well. It just isn't going to end well."

"I guess. You want to join in?"

"Yeah. Yusuke is in a pretty pissy mode."

The meeting was in the cafeteria. The first topic that was bought up was adding a meeting room. Approved. The next topic returned to the main problem; how to find Samus Aran. Link and Mario bought up the idea they could ask themselves; use their hero status. This idea got shot down with research. Sora found something on the ship's computer that the Federation weren't going to bend over to whatever that heroes may need from them. Sora then decided to go with the more direct approach. Distract the Federation while he unlocked the files. Marked as Plan B. Sonic suggested that he would run the entire main building and get the information they needed. More research revealed that security had handled aliens that could run faster than a normal being before. Naruto suggested clones. Sora then pointed out that all of Naruto's plans involved clones. Fighting ensued.

Syl had remained quiet, thinking about other things. The Arcana. The hooded people, both good and bad. The mysterious force working behind the scenes. The three things that were making things more complicated. The good hoods worked for the mysterious force. The bad hoods didn't work together. The mysterious force was fixing all of the problems that he caused. A simple childhood dream was turning into something out of his control.

"You've been quiet." Said Link. Syl woke up and replied. "Yeah. I guess."

"Any sort of plan you thought up?" Asked Sonic. Syl shook his head. Sonic sighed and turned back.

"Okay, so far, Sora's plan is the best one. Not a good plan, but better than ours." Sonic announced. The others looked slightly offended, but they still nodded. The door opened, and both Yoh and Ichigo walked in. Mario pulled out two chairs for them.

"Thanks. Came up with a plan yet?" Yoh asked.

"Well, yes and no. The plan mostly involved us keeping the security officers at bay while Sora looks for some sort of file." Syl poured the two a glass of water and passed it down. "And, yes, that is our best plan. I hope that Samus is smart enough so this never happens again."

"In short, we need Samus to find Samus." Replied Ichigo.

"That… makes sense." Replied Syl.

"Could I hear the others plans?"Asked Ichigo.

So they told them all the plans, both stupid and unpractical. Ichigo followed along, nodding his head and saying an occasional 'uh-huh' every so often. After all the rejected ideas got shot out, Ichigo instantly replied.

"We could try combining all of them."

"Say what?" Said Sonic.

"Sora could look at the files…but what distraction could be enough? Why, a speedy hedgehog and two well-known heroes could avert the attention of anyone!" Ichigo pointed out.

"Yeah, great plan, save for the security. They probably have traps for people like me!" Sonic pointed to a picture on the computer screen. There was a six-month newspaper article, showing off the latest state-of-the-art security system. It just showed a detector arc and a security guard, but the article talked about secret traps and such that were confidential. And with other articles talking about failed speedy thefts, chances were slim.

"Ah yes." Ichigo got up, and found the same article with a picture showing a door in the background. "Security Room. We hit that, and we'll be home-free."

"Isn't anyone concerned that we're…ummm…breaking and entering and stealing?" Yoh bought up.

"Yeah, I know. This is our back-up plan, remember?" Syl said.

"No. You never bought it up." Yoh said with a slight tinge of anger.

"Okay, okay. Calm down. But still, if we can take Link's word for it…."

"Hey!"

"…then we can't just walk up to them and ask for the location of their best bounty hunter. In case we can't convince them in sort of other words, we may to have to resort to not-so-nice measures." Syl said. He pulled up a photo of Samus, standing near the flag of the GF. "Man, there is no way this is going to be simple."

"Hold on." Sora typed in something and pulled up a another newspaper, from a year and a fourth ago. The headline read,

_**MYSTERY SOLIDER?**_

The article detailed a assassination of a reporter. The picture of the assassin was blurred, but it oddly look like a GF solider. The reporter's findings were also destroyed, but the article writer did find something about super soldiers on a burnt file. The GF didn't have a comment, but did mention that a smaller organization had plans about super soldiers and had recently stolen a portable armory. The article remained neutral from the point on, just stating the facts from the crime.

"So, they may be corrupt. So what?" Asked Yoh.

"Because we can use it against them!" Syl announced.

"Say wha?" Asked Yoh.

"If we can find something that they're hiding, we can use as leverage!"

"…that's evil."

"I know, I know. But hey, if we can take Link's word for it…

"…why?"

"…Samus isn't a fan of the GF herself. She could use herself."

"Geez, Syl, is there any way of finding Samus that doesn't involve stealing or blackmail?"

"Are you boring?"

"No!"

"Then let's do it!" Syl ran out of the room, holding onto the last two words all the way down the hall. The others just listened to it until they could hear it not more. They turned back to each other, deciding to forget about their leader's insanity for the moment.

"So…yeah.' Link was the first to say something. "We'll try to negotiate and whatever else we can do, and IF, IF everything fails, then we try to steal." Link stood up. "All right, if you have nothing else to bring up, then we're done. Anyone?" No one bought said anything. "Meeting adjourned." The computer shut down and everyone got up to leave.

"Say…what did Yusuke ask you do?" Asked Luffy, biting down on a sandwich.

"Where…" Started to ask Yoh, but he stopped, knowing a tad bit better. "Never mind. He asked me to clear with some asteroids." Sonic stopped, overhearing. He went over and asked,

"Err…with what?"

"The turret, what else?" Ichigo finished for Yoh, walking up, and counting down to the obvious conclusion. Sonic ran up to Link and told him the exact words. Upon hearing this, he went back to Yoh to confirm.

"Sorry if is slow, but you destroyed asteroids…with the laser turret."

"Yeah, so?"

"So? We're in Galactic Federation's jurisdiction."

"Explain, because I'm not following."

"What happens if you fire a gun in a street?"

"People will hear, and they'll call the police. Wait…"

"So what happens if we fire a laser in their jurisdiction?"

"…crraaappppp."

"And ladies and gentleman, I was right!" Ichigo threw up his hands and ran to the deck to strangle Yusuke, with others following.

The ship hadn't left the belt, but got out of the worst of it. Yusuke had returned to a good mood. He had turned on the radio and started to hum the song before everyone sans Syl burst in.

"Oh, hey, Yoh. I forgot to thank you…" Yusuke just managed to say that before Yoh knocked him out of his seat and started to check the monitors. "Hey! The hell?" He tried to get back up, but got pulled up by Mario, and then got crowded into a wall. "Hey, hey! What? What?"

"We entered the Federation's jurisdiction, you dolt! They're probably tracking the laser blasts right now!" Sonic yelled into Yusuke's ear.

"Wait, what?"

"You could've gone over or under the belt, but no, you had to wildly announce, "HI, WE'RE THE HEROIC LEAGUE!" Ichigo bellowed.

All Yusuke could say was, 'crraaapppp.'

The whole glowed red, all of the monitors saying the same thing.

_WARNING. INCOMING FEDERATION SHIP._

Then a second message came up.

_WAIT FOR MESSAGE. FIRE AT RISK._

Then the ship went dark. Emergency lights came on, illuminating the deck in a small green light.

"Wait." Link asked to no one. "How can we fire if they shut off the power?"

"My bad!" Syl shouted from below the deck.

The Allmacht drifted slowly, in the nowhere of space. Two small ships appeared, and came in. The ships were light grey and carried the Federation's symbol on both sides. Each ship took one side of the Allmacht and fired a tractor beam, holding it in place.

"We need to make contact." Link flipped a couple of switches, hoping for it turn on. The emergency power couldn't support it. "Naruto, can you go below deck and fix the machine? And Luffy, go with him and handle Syl?"

"Okay!" Said both. Naruto opened the hatch , with Luffy going first and Naruto following.

"So…now what?" Asked Mario.

"We wait. Either for the Federation to board or for the power to come back on." Link sat down, pulled the lever for the chair to lie back, and put his hat on his face, going to sleep. The others folded out of the deck, off to do things they could do without power.

A soldier's finger rested on a trigger…

* * *

_DATE: 2/19/XXXX_

_It's been a long time since I went did anything in this journal. I had a long few weeks of hunting down the remains of the Space Pirates, and whatever exploded from them. Mother Brain's remains had been contained in a preserved jar, and now I have it, and keeping it in a cryofreeze chamber to prevent any growth or side effects. I don't trust the Federation with it. I've seen B.S:L. I don't want to know what they could do with it._

_Kraid isn't much of a threat to begin with. I don't know if he's dead or alive._

_Ridley. That nightmare. Confirmed dead by the Federation, right before they kept his corpse. He could be back. _

_But I need to report back to the Federation. They probably need to know I destroyed three hijacked space stations of theirs. Better gone than give the pirates untold weapons of destruction. _

_I felt something right before I entered the first station. A feeling of being weak. I still handled the pirates, but what happened? I gotten used to how my suit powers would be removed, often in the most asinine ways, but most of the functions remain. It just felt like…like…my whole body got weaker and the suit used less power._

_It's weird. Did something happen?_

_Was the fourth Smash Bros. tournament coming?_

_Did something even more dangerous than the pirates…._

…_no. _

_Just no._

_Nothing worse than mindless, thoughtless, destructive pirates. _

_Just don't go there. At least not now._

Samus sighed. She decided to stop for now, and finish later, after she docked at HQ. The electronic journal desk retracted into the wall, and Samus rolled back to the controls on her chair. She checked the map monitor. About 10 clicks from the station. She checked the next, the ship status. Everything's fine.

She got up and walked over to the mini-fridge in the wall. She didn't normally drink while on a mission, let alone before checking in, but some bad memories needed to put down. She did like a good ale, and kept a good fresh stock on hand. That usually meant five bottles at a time. She would have one shot before bed, and at least a full mug during certain occasions. She kept her drinking to a low, it would be bad for business if she got a rep. for being a drunk.

She poured a shot and quickly downed it. She placed the shot glass in the washing machine in the wall…

Samus sighed.

Why did she drink?

Why does the booze help her sleep?

Falling is the word that Samus doesn't want to define her. She closed and locked the fridge and slumped in her seat. As soon as she did, she counted down from five, and upon reaching one, she got a message from the Federation, like clockwork. Half-way to sleep, she opened it, and the holo-image of a Captain started to talk.

But this captain was different. Samus perked up a bit; who was this man. But she didn't care, just another man in uniform. The Captain was a sturdy man, his uniform fit him precisely. He had a thin face, and with a glare, that some say, 'of a thousand suns'.

_Dear Samus Aran,_

_My name is Captain Arthur Conrad. I'm currently stationed at the nearest Galactic Federation station in your range. _

_Now normally, I would prefer to talk to leaving a message, but something has…come up. Something important to a little project I've been working on. _

_Something involving you._

Samus got interested. This Conrad sounded and looked like a manipulator.

_The project? A black-ops, a strictly need-to-known. Sorry, but I can't give any specific details…at least for now._

_Is this a bit sudden?_

"Yes." Samus said to no one. The hologram laughed, as if he recorded the message expecting that response.

_I mean, you just recently destroyed your third Federation station. You did, hold on…_The hologram reached over for a piece of paper and glasses. He put the glasses on, cleared his throat and moved on. _53 billion Federation dollars of damage, put at a half-million of people out of a job, both Federation officers and workers, and rendered SEVEN..._The hologram held up seven fingers for an almost comedic affect…_zones unprotected. Each station had been charged with two zones, but the last one had been given an extra zone due to the last two being reduced into atomic particles_

_The Court is looking into you right now. Their investigation is bit slow, considering the lack of evidence. Once you land, they will put into questioning and then under arrest. Your excuse of Space Pirates may hold up. May being the keyword. The Pirates are considered 'finished' by the Federation, and we received no word about any 'hostile take-over', from any agents of the Federation, or any 'Pirates'. Once again, no evidence to prove any 'Pirates' presence. _

Samus cursed, and the hologram laughed again. She did send a message about the Pirates takeover for each station.

_So, there may be a problem in proving your innocence. _

_I, however, have the solution to help you._

Samus almost thought about shooting the hologram and the real Conrad. She would shoot Conrad, after she ousted him for blackmail. And whatever else he was involved in. She walked over to her pistol and took it back with her. She started to modify it to 'ash'.

_I bet you're right now preparing to kill me. Possibly after you proved that I'm corrupt to everyone. Word of advice, don't bother. You can do only one. Kill me, and enjoy jail. Find me at fault with Federation regulations, I would either long gone, or my favorite, turn the tables. My little project does involve weapons…oops, spoke too soon._

Samus didn't react. She had a feeling it was involved weapons.

_Doesn't matter. I wired this message to be permanently erased once it's ended. So don't bother recording it. Try recording to a foreign appliance, and it will explode. Yes, I have people who can make your head explode just by tapping a pencil on the desk. You should it at once in your life. All that flying brains and blood does give you the edge to go out and do it yourself._

_Anyway, my deal is this. All I need you to do is collect a item for me. I explain once we meet in person._

"Why should I?" Samus had gotten used to Conrad's predictions.

_Best interests, of course. Instead of docking in your usual place, we shall meet at my ship. Once you hit the 3 clicks mark, turn a exact 150 and go 9 clicks. I hope that we can good partners. Really. Games are meant to be played by two or more people, but the most fun comes from just two._

_Message End._

Samus held her hand up, about to bring it down on the monitor. The fist quivered, and it fell down, with her head hanging down. She took a huge breath and slumped back to her seat. Her hand went though her hair, slowly combing it and slowly calming her down.

Just like mom…

Samus tapped her head. A reminder to not go here.

"Adam." She asked the computer.

"Yes, lady?" The computer responded back.

"Follow said path in message." Samus pulled herself together to get up and grab a second shot.

"Aran. This Captain doesn't hold good intentions."

"You heard him. I don't have a choice. I'll help him…for now. And then I'll bury him." She downed the shot and started to pour the third shot.

"Aran. I don't approve this. And the drinking." The computer's 'eye' glowed red. Samus walked over, shot glass in hand. She flipped some switches, and the ship went over to auto-pilot. A map monitor showed the course to Conrad's ship. The eye turned back to the standard green. Samus downed the shot and placed the glass on the dashboard. "Don't tell me what to do. I'm a grown woman." Samus said.

"This isn't the way to handle problems."

"Well, sorry, but I'm having a very bad couple of months. Give me a break, okay?"

"This isn't like you, Aran."

"Then what is? The fragile, helpless, damsel in distress? The one who likes monologues, truth and justice and all that crap? No. I'm not like that. Give me some time, Adam." She got up. "I'll be fine. I'm going to work on my Power Suit. Make sure we don't run into anything, okay?" She opened the door and walked out.

If a computer could feel sorry and sigh, Adam would have done so.

* * *

The repairs were coming along slow.

"Hey, Luffy, hand me that wrench, will ya?"Naruto asked from under the generator.

Luffy wasn't listening, and he was more interested on the machine itself. The Simple Sun was something completely new to him, as he never been below deck before. He mindlessly passed the wrench over, despite two things. It was a screwdriver and he poked Naruto in the side. He yelped, grabbed the screwdriver and threw it back at Luffy, which then bounced off the machinery. A Naruto clone looking for Syl grabbed the screwdriver and put it back into the box.

"Luffy, how dense are you? Wrench!" Naruto hadn't moved from under the generator until now, he grabbed the wrench and whacked Luffy over the head before returning to work. He grunted as he unbolted the bottom and checked the various components. Syl, in his random mood, ran into the generator, and almost knocked it over. Instead, it knocked out several stuff, and the ensuring damage caused some parts to burn out. Naruto reached up and managed to place a plug back its place. The machine started to hum a bit, meaning some power returned, but not all.

"It says, 20%." Luffy read out loud. Naruto managed to wipe his head. It was a good start.

"Naruto. How're things? Lights have been restored." Link's voice could be heard over the intercom. Naruto slid from under the generator and grabbed the receiver. "Yeah, I got power up to 1/5 of the max. Can you make contact?" Silence, with the computers humming on the background.

"Negative. The computers are on, but we need more to manage commutations. Where's Syl?"

"It's a maze down here. Luffy gave up. Sorry, it's going to be a while."

"Roger. Make haste. I looked out the window, and the ships haven't moved. Either they're waiting, or haven't gotten any orders."

"I do my best." The radio line went dead.

Naruto went around to where the shot landed. He pried open a side hatch and found a couple of wires fallen out. He got to work putting back in.

"Hey, Naruto, I have a question." Luffy came over and asked.

"If it's 'Hey, Naruto, if you're a ninja, how come you don't act like one' or 'why do you wear orange', then don't ask." Naruto reached as far as he could to place the green wire back in, but regardless of how far he forced his body into the generator, he couldn't put it back. Luffy looked inside, grab the bundles of wires, and placed them all back in. Power went to 45%. Luffy smiled. Naruto just ignored it and climbed up to fix the top.

"No, it's about the 'mysterious forces.'" Naruto pulled out the wrench and the plans he consulted earlier and studied. Following the diagram, he opened seven out of the eight bolts of the cover, and then pushed it open; the last screw holding it. He jumped in and started to fix.

"Huh. Well, what do you want to know?"

"Why did I lose the interest in going home? I mean, we. Not just I. Why did we NOT want to go home?"

Naruto banged on something. "That's a question I don't think even the smartest person in any world can answer. At first, and I'm going with what the others said, they wanted to explore worlds and have adventures, and all that fun stuff. But then, when it came time they wanted to go back or there were people who had ongoing events like you and me, something changed. At first, I wanted to go back and protect my friends and village from the bad hoods. But now, it's like a voice told me, 'it's okay. Have fun.' And so I stayed."

"Huh." Luffy stroked his chin, feeling a few hairs growing.

"So yeah, as far I know, my village may be ash. But that voice seems to suppress any desire to go back home." A loud '_clang!'_ later, and the machine roared, with the power going up to 70%. Someone on the radio called out.

"Naruto. Good work. Now we have enough power to work commutations." It was Link. "Complete the repairs. We may need to get out of here if needed, and it would be nice to have warp drive."

"Roger." The radio chatter ended, and Naruto climbed out. He went into the tool box, and pulled out the screwdriver. He waved it in front of Luffy's face, to make a point. Luffy wasn't paying attention, as he went back to watching the thundering machine. Naruto walked past the generator to a dead end of the metal walkway. There was another machine that got hit, the cool-down machine. It kept the Simple Sun from over-heating and also maintained the flow of energy. One of the pipes had been knocked off, along with several other loose parts.

"I got another question." Luffy asked as Naruto started to screw in a computer board.

"Once again…"

"I'm not going to ask that!" Luffy said.

"Fine."

"How many worlds are there?"

"How should I know?"

"Okay, okay. I feel asleep during a meeting. How many people are we going to pick up?"

"Umm…" The pipe had a bad crack in it, so Naruto walked back and grabbed some sealant. "Yeah. Syl said about 25."

"25! WOW!"

"It's going to be slow, but we could find out about all the mysteries surrounding us in that time. Syl did also mention that were going to be 25 PLACES, but about 29 people."

"29?"

"Something about the same name, yet different people."

"I should start staying awake during our meetings."

"Then stop playing games on the computer at night!"

"But Syl…!"

"Don't give me that! Syl is younger than you, be the responsible one!"

The two continued to bicker. However, the pipe did get fixed and got placed back in and the power got back up to a 100%. But they continued to argue.

"WILL YOU TWO STOP FIGHTING FOR TWO SECONDS AND TALK TO ME?" Link yelled over the radio to get the two's attention. The two scrambled over to the receiver, and Luffy won.

"Well, Luffy, how goes the insane Syl retrieval?" Asked Link. Luffy went over his words to explain, but Naruto pushed him out of the way. "We're still looking. This is a large place. You haven't heard anything?"

"Nothing. Well, one of you stay below and look for him while the other comes up and guard. Luffy, I think you should come up. Is that okay, Naruto?"

"Fine. How goes the negotiation?"

"Not well. They think we're pirates and playing games with them. Then again, we started to talk after the 30 minute mark. Just feel good that you were able to fix the Simple Sun before they decided to blow us up. Oh…they're calling me back. Over and out." The radio line went dead.

Luffy waved, and climbed back up. One of Naruto's clones looking for Syl reported in.

"Sir!" It said.

"Report!" Naruto asked.

"Insane man was last seen around the kitchen area, trying to make a hole to go back up!"

"Good! Lead the way!"

And the two flew off.

Luffy closed the hatch. Ichigo walked over and locked it, just to keep Syl from escaping.

"Remember, three-two-one knocks is the password." He told Luffy.

"Okay." Luffy sat down near it, pulling up a chair and Syl's bag of pretzels.

The commanding officers on both Federation ships were on screen, and not happy. They believed that the Allmacht was a pirate ship, destroying asteroids for target practice. Link and Sora's negotiation weren't going well, not because of language barriers, angry people, lack of skills, but rather of Code 9 Point 43.

"As it clearly states, Code 9 Point 43: '_The random destruction of non-threatening asteroids within Federation jurisdiction shows a clear intent of wonton mayhem, and must be investigated accordingly_.' You had no reason to destroy the asteroids. I need to take you in." One of the officers stated. Yoh had found an electronic rulebook and found the code, and nodded back to Link.

"Okay, fine. But we flew into the belt without control. We needed to clear a path." Link came back.

"That may be true, considering your ship has taken some internal damage. But we can settle the matter and fix your ship back at the nearest Federation station, the Araneus." Said the second officer.

"We're fine. We're fine." Said Sora, holding his hands up. "We would just like to go on our own way."

"We can't allow you." Said both officers at the same time, sounding like a robot. Sora felt a bit creeped out. Link held that feeling down. Yoh whistled, wanting to show something to Sora. A certain Code 7 Point 69. The two walked back, holding a printout.

"Ahem." Sora cleared his throat. "According to Code 7 Point 69 of the Federation Code: _Non-citizens of the Federation may deny help from the Federation during an incident of misunderstanding."_ Sora put down the paper. "So we invoke that Code."

"You can't." The two talked in sync again. Link's face twisted into minor fear. But he regained composure, and asked, "But, what about the law? Code 7 Point 69, remember? You can't break that."

"It doesn't apply here. According to the files, the people named Link, Mario, and Sonic have received temporary citizenship during the Smash Bros. Tournament." One of the officers showed the said file. A printer could be heard in the background of the second ship, and the officer showed three temporary citizenship cards. He walked out of shot, and then a humming noise then could be heard. The cards materialized in the Allmacht. Link forcibly took the cards.

"Welcome back to the Federation."

"We will now transfer you to the Araneus." The screens shut off, and the Allmacht jerked forward. The other members came in to wonder what was going on.

"…what just happened?" Asked Luffy.

"We just have been legally hijacked." Sora said before he sat down.

"I should go and kill Syl." Sonic grabbed a wrench and attempted to open the hatch, but Luffy stopped him. "Luffy. Move."

"No. Killing him won't help us." Luffy sat down onto the hatch.

Sonic lazily threw the wrench, and it bounced off his head and landed near a chair.

_Tap, tap, tap-tap, tap-tap_.

"The signal!" Luffy opened the hatch, and out came Naruto carrying a sleeping Syl.

"That was easy." Naruto said, rolling the snoring teen. "He ran into a pipe."

"Well, that ends one problem. Listen, Naruto, we're being taken to the nearest Federation station against our will. So be on the best behavior, they're not taking 'no' for an answer." Link said, putting Syl in a chair and tilting his hat down. Yusuke went to the control panel and turned down the power.

And so the ship drifted in the direction they wanted to go in, yet…in a way they didn't want to go in.

* * *

"Name."

"Syl Wallace."

"Origin."

"Earth."

"Which Earth?"

"…I wouldn't know."

"Stand under the scanner."

The League had been sent off to the Araneus for inspection. The Allmacht had been sent to the Locked-Down Hangar, also pending inspection. Syl had to be shoved out of the ship. They had stripped of their weapons and any armor and been herded into a corridor where they would be examined and then sent to the waiting room; then to wait for the decision. Syl went in first.

He stood under the scanner. A ring went up and down, bathing him in a green light. After about five seconds of scanning and five revolutions, the ring went back up and a computer ran the information given. Syl walked out, and a large screen showed the results.

"Computer." The officer in charge announced. "Show origin."

"_Earth 01, Side A."_

"Ah. An original earthian, in the flesh." The officer said. "Go in."

Syl walked through the door under the screen to a long corridor. Taking a deep breath, he proceeded down the hall, taking each step in stride. Whatever lay ahead, he was going to take his time.

"Get moving." A poke in the back proved that a laid-back attitude wasn't the best move.

The door ahead opened up when he got into five feet close to. Inside, as Syl had guessed, was a cell. Rolling his eyes, he went in, and the door closed. Syl sat down, and the whole cell moved to the right. Syl decided to go back to sleep rather than to mingle with others. He took his flatcap off and placed over his face.

"_PLEASE STAY AWAKE FOR QUESTIONING."_

Syl grumbled, and sat back up, but kept his hat off. He looked around his cell, looking for something that could be useful. There's the rack that served as the bed, the food and water machine that only got activated during eating times, a toilet, and the cell door. There was the electronic lock, but Syl decided not to mess with it. The Federation had every safe-guard available, so his powers could set off alarms that wouldn't help. Black Wood could help, if it hadn't been taken from him.

But, wait! They didn't take his bag! Good thing he hid it under his shirt. As well that the Federation were idiots behind their helmets and their advanced measures. So he had his Aoi-Kogane set to break through and help the others! He went to the bars and looked around. The cell hadn't reached its destination, wherever that was. Cameras followed the entire way. No way could he draw even Kyohaku without being seen.

He tried to sit down, but the cell jerked, and he fell down. He got back up to see that a man wearing a detective suit (At least that what Syl thought it was.) holding a briefcase in one hand and a rod in the other. Syl made sure that his bag couldn't be seen. The cell opened up, and the rod started to spark. Syl quickly moved out and to where the rod pointed to: a table and two chairs. Syl sat down and the man pulled out a recorder and clicked the start button.

"Hello. My name is not important. Your name has already been recorded. I'm going to be straightforward, and get to the questioning. Why did you come here to this sector? Answer truthfully."

"We came here to find Samus Aran." Syl didn't want to say that. But the rod looked painful.

"Oh? For what reason were you searching for her?"

"You really what to know?"

"Answer the question."

"…I'm forming together a group of heroes and heroines to better help the macroverse."

"It does explain the appearance of Mario, Link, and Sonic. And what is the name of this group?"

"…The Heroic League…" Syl felt embarrassed saying that. Why? Because this was a serious situation which could lead to death and he gave his group of heroes a name that was better suited for a 1930s serial.

"I see." The detective just nodded. "So, why did you destroy meteors?"

"It wasn't me. One of the other members decided to fly into the belt, and got annoyed. He ordered another member to use the turret to clear a path." Avoiding using names. Good. Syl now hoped that the detective wouldn't ask which members.

He continued to nod. "So tell me this. How come the driver got to order around another member without your permission? I can tell that you aren't happy."

"I'm not the leader. Just the founder. There is no real leader, someone will just take charge if they take the first step."

"But according to your friends…"

That was new. Somehow, they talked to the others first. Or perhaps a bluff? Or, even, they watched the League way before now?

"…you often take charge, and, you're the one who's leading them to the different worlds to pick up new members."

"I'm just the guy who points and makes a noise to get attention." Syl said it like it was the truth. He did a lot more than that. Perhaps it was time to let the others do all of the work, and him leave the limelight for a bit. But now? Now he has to make sure he gets to leave with his skin still attached to his body.

"Actually, I'm done now. I'll request for you later once I compare notes with my colleagues." He got up and Syl immediately ran back to his cage, so he could go back to planning his escape. The door closed and the cell moved. Syl sat down on his rack and plotted. How could he use his new swords without being seen, and how was he going to help the others? He continued to hide his bag.

The cell stopped. Syl looked back up. The door lead to air. But the door didn't open.

The cage floor did.

Syl stood up on his rack, holding onto the chains for balance. He looked over, and saw that many of the stationary objects were actually on their own platforms, so nothing fell down. Syl braved up and looked down. Down below was a chute into a box-like building. There were other buildings like that around. Prisons? Syl didn't want to find out. But if he wanted to stay in his cage, he would need to trick the Federation.

No cameras. Just scanners. So just by putting down the slide, he could stay in his cage. Syl tapped into some of his powers. Down below was other League members. Ichigo, Link and Naruto lay straight below. Syl pulled out of his bag the three swords and a sketchbook. Quickly drawing up a letter, he dropped the four objects, and as soon as they entered the opening, the cell floor returned.

Syl sighed. Now he could sleep in peace, without the Federation spying on him. All he could was wait.

* * *

"NOBODY KNOWS…."

"Shut up!" Ichigo shouted at the ninja, who somehow found a tin cup. Ichigo grabbed the cup and threw against the wall, crushing it. Naruto sat down, fuming. They had been in a prison block for only twenty minutes. When Syl had been taken away, the others went down a different path. This one went directly to interrogation and then imprisonment.

"Naruto, don't you have something else better to do rather to annoy us?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh hey, you forgot! They took all of our stuff! I would like to ask you the same thing!" Naruto retorted back, showing him the inside of his pockets. Ichigo didn't need to reply to that.

"Link, I'm pretty sure you've been in this situation before." Ichigo turned to ask. Link just stared outside.

"Link? Hello? You're there?" Asked Ichigo, tapping on Link's left shoulder. Link woke up from his daze and turned around.

"Sorry, Ichigo. I…was thinking."

"I take it about your home world?"

"Yeah. Ganondorf may be plotting something. I don't know who's pulling the strings, but I still think that something bad can still happen."

"We all do. One of the Arcana attacked my home. I don't know if 'it' would attack again, but for some reason, I lost the urge to go home."

"Huh." Naruto got up. "For a while, people would have 'revelations' usually on the 2nd world they visit. It seems like the 'deity' is speeding things up."

"We're getting close to whoever or whatever is." Link said. "The 'deity' is making sure we don't know until later."

"Like Syl." Naruto pointed out.

"Yeah. But Syl, despite his attitude and appearance, can't be that powerful, or that smart."

_INCOMING PRISONER. STAND CLEAR OF LAND ZONE._

The three stood away from the center. A soft sheet came up from the floor.

"Who could be?" Asked Naruto.

"Wait. It sounds like something metal hitting against wall…" Ichigo said.

"A robot?" Asked Naruto.

"No. Wait. Like swords!" Ichigo said. He quickly stood in front of the cell, blocking the camera's view. As Ichigo predicted, three katanas landed on the soft sheet. One large, one medium, and one knife. Ichigo, before grabbing the large sword, looked out of the cell. Two guards from opposite directions were walking up to confirm the prisoner's safe landing.

"Naruto!" Ichigo whispered. Naruto nodded, understanding. Link grabbed the swords and placed against the wall on the side of the doors. Naruto jumped onto the sheet. The guards did a quick look. All they saw was Link sitting, and the red-haired kid helping up a blond hair kid. The guards weren't the same guards who saw all three fall in, so a window of opportunity opened for the three, as long as the guards didn't check and confirm with anyone else. They left, wordless.

"There's a note." Ichigo grabbed the note and read.

_Dear Link, Ichigo, Naruto, _

_Take these swords and use them. You dumb shmucks._

_Signed, Syl_

"Syl…" Link held back his anger. He grabbed the medium sword and sliced both the note and the cell door. Both split in half. Ichigo grabbed the largest sword, and Naruto the knife. All three took out the two guards in the front. Ichigo and Naruto, being the lowest on the defense scale in the group, put on the , the cells were old-fashioned, so no alarms went up.

But there were plenty of guards around, checking out several other inmates. The three stalked some around, looking for the others. However, Link stopped.

"Hold on." Link was facing a door. A sign above it read, 'Storage'. "Our equipment is in there."

"You want us to split up?" Asked Ichigo.

"Yeah. Be right back…" Link waved and opened the door.

"Without armor?" Naruto asked.

"Sure." Link closed the door behind him.

Ichigo and Naruto retraced their steps back to the first two guards and took the full set.

"How big do you think is the storage room?" Asked Naruto.

"Considering the place, I think the real question is, 'how dangerous is the storage room?'" Answered Ichigo.

The two set off to find the others. Nothing interested happened for the next hour. The Federation made sure to spread them out as far as possible.

We shall cut to Link now. After he closed the door, he immediately hit the floor. A clerk looked to the door, but turned back when he passed it off as a joke. Link needed to move fast, in case a soldier came in and checked in some new evidence. He crawled past the clerk's window. Now he needed to find a way to open the door to the storage room. The clerk may decide to rather shoot then to investigate.

Footsteps could be heard from the other side. Someone was coming. Link pressed his back against the wall and waited for the door to hit him the face. The door came open, but it barely came close to him. The soldier walked in and showed his badge. The clerk certified the badge, and the soldier left. Link managed to get through the door before it closed. The clerk didn't bat a eye.

The storage reached a mile back. Electronic cages held everything that all the prisoners ever had on their person. Each container held a certain item. Guns, blades, books, cards, computers, gadgets, drawings just name a few. Link looked at the one marked 'blades'. There seemed to be no way to open it. Link looked at the others. They all had no physical way of obtaining the objects from within. Normally, he would use one of his gadgets to open it open. But all he had was the katana. And Syl wouldn't be happy to find it snapped first.

A computer laid on the wall. It glowed green. Link followed the wires. Yep, the computer definitely was the lock. Now what's the key?

Link, being the least computer-savvy of the team, decided against better judgment to unlock the cages. The computer wanted a password.

Link typed, '_FEDERATION_'.

Link typed, '_KEY_'.

Link typed, '_UNLOCK_'.

Link typed, '_PASSWORD_'.

Link typed, '_WRONG PASSWORD_'.

Link typed, '_TRY AGAIN_'.

Nothing worked. Thankfully, the Federation didn't have a alarm set for entering the wrong password. They were probably recording it later for laughs. Link checked around the room. No cameras. Guess the Federation wanted privacy in here. Privacy for things best left unsaid. Who knew? And, worst yet, if a guard didn't come and showed the password, the mission is over. What a way to go.

Samus never told him anything important about the Federation, or dropped any hints. The times he came here were too short to learn anything. He looked back to the when the first Federation ship arrived to now. Nothing big showed up. Or anything at all. He slumped against the wall. He took a deep breath, and racked his brain even harder. Why did it matter? Why would he remember the password to the secure storage room?

The door opened. Thank god! Link ran behind a shelf and took a good look at the screen while the password was being typed.

_0_

Link then realized that the Federation choose that password on purpose. It's always the one you don't think of.

The soldier went over to the 'gun' cage. Link managed to get a closer look, interested in why a soldier holding a gun would want a gun. He withdrew…Samus' Paralyzer? It had to be! Good thing he was closer, otherwise he wouldn't be able to see Samus' symbol, the Screw Attack 'S', etched into the handle. The guard put the Paralyzer into a black case. Which means she was here! But as a guest, or as a prisoner? Well, Yusuke did in some way help them.

The guard closed the cage and started to leave. Link worked on a decision. Should he get everybody's equipment, or follow the guard to Samus? Time slowed down for Link.

So he decided. He would grab his equipment, follow the guard, and tell the others the password, and continue to follow. Thankfully the password was short, so Link struck the '0' key, and went over to the 'blades' cage.

It was empty.

Link didn't have time to question, he went over to the armor cage.

Nothing.

For the hell of it, he opened the 'gun' drawer.

The Paralyzer was the only thing that WAS in there!

Link growled. He withdrew Seken and burst through both door, with the clerk barely noticing the green blur. As soon as Link exited, his eyes looked for the guard with the black case. He saw him, and silently followed him. The guard didn't expect anything. The jail break hasn't been reported yet, he guessed. He didn't know how long it would be, but he wasn't waiting.

Two guards spotted him. Instead of shouting and shooting, they waved to him. It must be Ichigo and Naruto. He tried to send them off with hand signals. They didn't get it. They got closer. Link mouthed the words. Either two could read. They got even closer. Link then whispered the words. The two got closer to hear. Link got closer to them, a little impatient now.

"Link. Link. Link!" They said.

"Back up. Back-up!" Link tried to reach them.

"Where's our stuff?"They said.

"Not there, not there, not there!" Link's voice went up a notch.

"Where is it?" They asked.

"IT'S NOT THERE!" Link shouted.

The two ran off scared, and thankfully no guards ran in. The guard carrying the case turned around for a second, but shrugged and continued back to his mission. Link sighed. A bullet that he fired just missed his temple. And he's supposed to be the smart one!

* * *

Syl's nap had been good. Sure, he was still in a cage way high above the ground in a hostile location, but he still had teenager's dreams.

I would go into loving detail, but this story is rated T. Not M. No sir would I ever break my contract and lure innocent minds. That would make me a sexual deviant. And that not's good. Not good at all. No good. But bad.

Sorry. This root beer tastes funny. I'm going to check the rest of the case now.

Syl's nap lasted a full thirty minutes. He woke up hearing a loud noise. A spinning noise. A noise that sounded like water splashing. And something that smelled like something burning. Syl got up, put on his hat, and looked out the door. He nearly screamed, but held it in.

A huge washing tunnel appeared right front of him. Apparently the Federation didn't want to leave any evidence behind in cause of a 'accident'. It didn't look human-friendly, with hoses with light-green soap bubbles, giant and thin rollers that would wipe clean any surface everywhere, and giant flamethrowers, which doesn't need a explanation to that they would do.

Syl went to lock and used his Spirit powers to open the door. The door opened, but a quick look reminded him that a thousand feet fall would be painful. So Syl secured his bag and carefully climbed out and held onto to the roof's ledge. He made it to the front of the cell, and prepared to jump onto the tunnel's surface. Hopefully there was a exit.

Syl dropped down and hanged onto the bottom ledge. The hoses were getting closer. Syl took a deep breath, and let go.

Using his powers to cushion the fall, he hit the floor hard, and rolled near the ledge. He struggled, and managed to hold on. He watched as his cell was hit by the hoses and turned a bit lighter in color. After the cage cleared the hoses, Syl worked his way up, and ran past the hoses before the next cell came. That soap looked deadly.

The flames prevented Syl from going further in. And they're no ways out. No doors. Syl sat down, in thought. Apparently, if repairs were needed, ships would fly in. Syl looked around. The hoses and rollers were both too high and bolted into the wall, and Syl had nothing in his bag to stop the flamethrowers. His powers couldn't stop any three of them. His DM-378 didn't have the firepower to do anything.

Syl looked up. The cells. He could use the cells. He ran over to the right side of the tunnel, going as far up as he could. He charged up a beam and fired at a cell, grabbing hold of it. The line stalled. Syl held his ground as the line tried to move forward. He felt like his arms were going to rip out. Gears larger than Syl twice started to break. He started to be dragged away. He forced more power into the beam.

He won, and the whole tunnel turned completely red with the alarms going off and the other washing equipment disabled. The cell collapsed, and Syl went up while the cage went down. The beam disappeared, and Syl fell down to the ground. He recovered quickly and ran behind a roller. He jumped up and held on.

A small ship with arms came into the tunnel and went straight to the fallen cell. Just one ship to repair a cell the size of a minivan? The Federation must be short today. Syl threw a Spirit tether on the bottom of the ship and opened the cargo door. He climbed up the tether and threw himself inside, closing the door on the way in. He stayed as close to the ground and in the shadows as soon he entered. The one man controlling the ship didn't even hear the body hitting the floor. Syl left him be.

The ship shook as the arms grabbed the ship and slowly bring it back up. Syl's head continually hit his head against wall. When the shaking stopped, Syl felt his nose. Yeah, blood was running down. Out of curiosity, he tasted his blood. Nothing different from before. He reached into his bag and pulled out a napkin he stole from a diner. He tore off a little part and stuffed it in his nose. Not the best way, but the blood could give him away. So he used the rest of the napkin to clean up the blood on the floor and his face.

The cell got latched back up, and the tunnel went back to normal. The driver in the seat grabbed a receiver and spoke.

"Cage has been fixed. I'm coming in, cease operations until I land."

"Roger. Over and out." A voice at the other end said. The man in the seat put the receiver back in and piloted the plane down the tunnel. Syl wanted to look, but didn't want to alert the man. He moved his body slightly and tiled his head up to see the out the window.

When the ship exited, the view was still the same; towers coming from a seemingly bottomless abyss, ships flying all around, cameras following everything's movements, all in a gritty orange landscape. Syl got both bored and nervous. Boredom from seeing the same thing from his cell. Nervous is best described as paranoia; who knows? One of the ships might have eagle-eyes.

"Requesting landing." The driver asked over his radio.

"Dock in Parking Zone CC62." A computerized voice said. A door opened in a nearby tower and the ship flew in.

The view changed. Instead of the orange, orange, orange, and orange, the view went white, blue, and black. Syl got up, slightly. Okay, this is was cool. Different, but the fast flashing lights did hurt his eyes.

The ship did a quick turn, and Syl ran into the wall again, this time hitting his head harder. The driver didn't hear the thud or the slide down. He either must be deaf, or way too focused on driving. Syl felt the back of his head. He felt a lump growing. He checked his nose, but it was fine. He grabbed hold of a bar bolted to the floor, and the ship took an even sharper turn. The bar slipped out, and Syl banged his feet against the other wall. He was able to bounce back to his corner, and grabbed the bar again. Good. His feet were twitching, but fine.

The ship landed, and Syl let go of the bar tenderly. The driver grabbed his gun from the next seat and left. Syl took a minute of silence before running out. The hangar was filled with ships, but no guards or anyone for that matter. If he wanted to, Syl could find a set of keys and take one of the ships for a joyride. Though the cameras would still find him. But those were easy.

Syl reached into his bag and searched for a weapon, or at least something that he could use. The DM-378? The helicopter fight proved that Syl needed to a little gun training, and he had been ignoring that in favor for more sword training. And these guys were super soldiers. The DM-378 once again got shot down. He slung it around his shoulder just for a little extra protection.

And then he found it. "_It can't be._" He withdrew a torque wrench.

His dad's torque wrench.

* * *

"Hey!" A guard yelled. Wasn't the driver. He pointed his gun, but got cut down by a shimmering blue club.

The alarms didn't go off, but more guards had heard and seen, and came after him. Syl threw up his aura, and wildly bashed his way down the hall. Regardless of the number of shots being fired, Syl didn't bother dodging. He just ran down the hall, tearing through all of the guards that stood in his way. Sure, it blew his cover, but if Link and the others were doing the silent approach, he would make their job easier. But why were the alarms not going off?

Syl reached the end of the hall, a large room with an overhanging balcony. No guards were there. Syl ran in, wrench at his side.

The door shut and locked. Syl didn't blink. He expected that.

"Welcome, Leader of the Heroic League." A voice echoed.

Syl sighed. "Again, I'm not the leader! Just the founder. Now, who the hell are you?" He yelled. The sound of a conveyor belt running came to Syl's ears, and from the balcony came a tall man dressed in a black uniform decorated with medals and a black cape. The man's face was almost hidden under his hat and his upright collars. He was also wearing a skintight bodysuit, which covered his hair and ears. He took off his black gloves, which revealed more of the suit. It reminded Syl of the bodysuits that capture motion actors used.

"Hello, sir. Before I introduce myself, why don't you introduce yourself?" He said.

"Why? You know me already." Syl came back.

"I insist." He clapped, and several guards decked with powerful weapons and white armor ran in, and several red dots appeared all over Syl. He grunted. "Fine. My name is Sylvin Wallace, Syl for short. Et tu?" The man chuckled.

"Very well. I'm Captain Arthur Conrad. In about thirty minutes, I will be the highest rank officer in the Araneus station. So I'll literally control the base." Conrad said, untying his cape. Syl noticed a holster with a gun and a sheath with a sword. Was he going to fight? The soldiers got closer.

Conrad spoke again. "You may have not noticed, but we were watching you with a secret camera. When we scanned you, we placed a temporary tracker in you. We followed you. We recorded every twitch. And yes, we can tell what you held in your hands. And based on your friend's movements and your current presence, you escaped jail by dropping three hidden swords into the prison chute, allowing your friends to escape." A soldier next to him tapped something into a keypad. A video monitor came down and it showed the body movements of Link, Naruto, and Ichigo.

All three were running. They also held their hands a weapon, as the computer estimated by the weight. Ichigo and Naruto were wearing Federation armor; not a smart move, as soldiers were monitored at all times. They're stationed at the prison. Link was heading off in a different direction; the center. Conrad took interest and enlarged Link's profile. Link was heading in the direction of a council room.

"Well, thanks for the moment. I'll be going now." Syl said as he walked off.

The soldiers opened fire, and Syl quickly turned around and slashed out with a blue wave, dispelling the gunshots and taking down all the soldiers.

"No surprise there." Conrad said with a sigh. "What happened? Ran out of swords? A wrench isn't something of your caliber."

"But this wrench is special. It's the first weapon I used against a person." Syl extended the sword to reach up to Conrad's chin. He didn't move. His smile stayed.

"I see. You and your mystery past." Conrad gently pushed away the blade. Syl tried to put it back, but his arm couldn't move. Conrad seemed to be a lot stronger than he looked. Syl tried to use both arms. Nothing doing. He forced more power in. Conrad's smile turned to Syl. He became angry, hoping to stop Conrad by bleeding him. Blood dropped to the floor of the balcony.

Conrad started to giggle.

He reached for his gun. Syl pushed the sword upwards, but Conrad stepped to the side and shot Syl. The aura didn't hold, and Syl got knocked back. Conrad withdrew his sword, a broadsword with a thin frame. He pressed a button, and a red energy entered the frame. He threw off his uniform and leapt off the balcony, landing near Syl's feet.

"Get to your feet. You organized a jail break. And the punishment is to serve the combined terms of all of the escapees. But I'm in charge." He held his sword to Syl's neck. "So…

"…I sentence you to death."

"OBJECTION!" Syl yelled, blocking the sword and getting up.

"You can't object! I uphold the law in this sector!" More energy poured into his broadsword. "This may sound sudden, but I have a meeting to get to. So I will make this quick."

"Meeting?" Syl asked. "Say, was Link heading to your meeting? Can I join?"

"Enough talk! Have at you!" He leapt at Syl…

* * *

That courier was playing hardball, all right. He definitely didn't want to be followed. He went through all of the secure areas, and Link had to make up for lost speed by making dangerous turns through heavy-guarded areas.

Yet, somehow, he made it to the courier's location. A meeting room. The courier dropped off the case and left. Link entered behind the courier's back. The room was thankfully empty. He ignored the case; the Federation would probably scan it for prints, knowing what measures they would take. He saw what all meeting rooms had, a large ventilation shaft with a view. Link opened vent and climbed in.

It took only fifteen minutes for the meeting to start. There were eight seats set up, and the first six people walked in. They were old, and decorated with medals and honors. Old leaders, maybe. Then a man wearing black, black and more black walked in. He was greeted as Conrad. When he took off his cape and gloves, he was wearing a bodysuit. So why did he wear gloves? Or, for that matter, any clothes at all?

And the answer came clear. Blood. On his hand.

"Conrad? What happened?" Asked one of the old man.

"Prisoner got rowdy. Don't worry, everything's clean. Oh, except for me." Conrad said, giving everyone a chuckle. He withdrew a handkerchief and wiped the blood off. He give it to a guard to dispose off. Link got scared and nervous. Did one of the League members meet his end? He stayed, hoping to find some information that could avenge the fallen one.

Conrad opened the case and withdrew the Paralyzer. He motioned to a guard. The guard went out and bought in Samus. She looked ragged and messy. Sleep-deprived perhaps? Her Zero-Suit, as Link knew, would keep her alive, but it wouldn't keep her healthy. She was dropped off in the chair near Conrad. She held her head low.

They found her, alright. But what did she get into?

Conrad opened the meeting. "Well, my esteemed gentleman, I bring you good news!"

"What?" One of the leaders got up. "Does it have to with the pirates, or rather Samus?"

"Samus. She just got back from a mission to recover an object." He withdrew from his pocket a black orb with a swirling purple mist in it. Link felt a bit sick, and Samus' face felt the same. The others didn't react the same way. Link remembered this feeling. Back on Luffy's world, with his crew. On Naruto's world, the Reuze Stiers had that feeling, and that mist could be seen where Sasuke nearly killed Syl. Hirota had the same thing too.

"What…is that?" Asked one of the leaders.

"This? This, my friends and colleagues, is Black Mass." Link quivered. The name might sound stock, but the feeling of this Black Mass overridden any funny thoughts. Samus felt the same way.

"Black Mass." He tapped the orb. "Black Mass. What can I say about this? The origin of it is unknown. Some say it comes from a dead astral body. It may come from a decaying body of an evil man. There are many theories to where this comes from, but all of them involve either death or evil."

"What is it?" Asked the same leader.

"For a lack of a better word, Black Mass is a drug. A drug naturally created. Regardless of how it enters the body, it empowers the body and mind with the sort of energy that best suits the wielder. For example, a power-hungry man will embody insane power. If he's a Satanist, he may become a devil himself. But to some, those who're naturally good, will just become mindless barbarians. But…in the end, they all do. It just depends on what one uses their powers. Some are said to be born under the effect of Black Mass, but remain sane in the natural term of sanity. Not the public sense of sanity."

Link realized that he was talking about Hirota and the Strawhats. Did he know?

"But there are many different uses besides drugs. It can be used to power weapons. And Samus had also found one a weapon that uses the Black Mass to drive enemies to insanity." He clicked a button, and the weapon plans appeared on the black screen. It showed a metal cannon with a rounded end. A sketch of a generator that would support the Black Mass energy. He pressed the button again, and it switched to a camera view of the cannon being built.

One of the leaders stood up. "What's going on, Conrad?" He asked.

"The next line of defense against future threats to the Federation." Conrad said. "Sorry I didn't ask permission, but I felt like that we need to move fast and now. I just learned that a group of well-known heroes just entered the sector. I've a feeling that their enemies are going to follow and find us. And some of those heroes come from worlds that hold destroyers of worlds."

"But this?" The same standing leader retorted. "This is a weapon that destroys minds, and the energy that powers it is just as deadly! We have no idea to what it could really do!" The other leaders stood up in the same idea. Conrad looked…pleased. Link didn't like where this was going.

"Link! Link!" Link looked up to face Ichigo. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you later, be quiet!" Link shushed him.

"Gentleman…gentleman." Conrad tried to calm down the audience. They wouldn't have it.

Conrad still smiled.

He withdrew his sword and sliced off every leader's heads off. The energy of the sword instantly sealed the necks shut, preventing blood from spilling out like a geyser. A splatter hit everyone in the room. The guards didn't react. Link and Ichigo repelled back by a small spray, and Samus woke up. Conrad sheathed his sword, and the guards immediately went to work cleaning up. Samus got up.

"Ah. You're awake. Sorry for the awakening." Conrad withdrew a second handkerchief and wiped off the blood on his face. "I've yet to thank you for recovering the weapon and the Black Mass."

"Well, don't!" Samus got near the door. The soldiers dropped the bodies and drew their weapons. Conrad withdrew the Paralyzer.

"Listen, Aran. You want your weapon, ship, and Power Suit back? You have to work for it." He spun the Paralyzer. Samus glared.

"Link." Ichigo said. Link looked back up. "We should help her."

"How? We can't just burst down and rescue her."

"I got this." Ichigo pulled out of his pocket a flash bomb. "The armor had two."

"Hope that they don't fire wildly. On my signal." Link said, pulling out a small dagger. He went to work unscrewing the bolts. Ichigo got ready to throw. The scene down below got more violent as Samus tried to leave. Conrad, despite just killing six people, remained calm and reserved.

"Well, good job." Samus said. "How are you going to explain that?"

"Simple." Conrad withdrew his sword and stuck the barrel of the gun on the end of the sword's handle. He pulled the trigger once, and put the sword back. "I transferred the weapon energy from my sword to your Paralyzer. When the Court investigates, and if they do, they find that your weapon matches the energy residue on the decapitated necks." He put the Paralyzer on the table. "Of course, if they do."

"What else do you what?" Samus asked. "You killed off six of the eighteen council leaders. You're the highest ranking member in this station. So what do you want with me?"

"I need you to finish the weapon. There's a part in this station that just came in. I want you to witness the completion of the weapon, and my peace."

"Peace?"

"Due to the actions of your friends, out universe has become melded in a much larger place. The Federation is no longer the large power it was back in our universe, and we need to expand and restore the Federation to what it is. This…macroverse needs us."

"You mean you."

"Why, yes. The Federation's leaders had gotten too old and senile. My plans are smart and effective. I'm perfect to lead the Federation to its new future. Call me narcissistic, but I've talked with several people. They agree with me. And one of these people is one of the council, the newest one, the bright one." He took off his cape.

"And you think I'm going to let you get away with this? And what friends?"

"Don't worry about it. You'll never meet them. Now, it's your choice." He withdrew his pistol.

"Now!" Link shouted, throwing down the vent. Ichigo threw the flash, and the room went blind in light. The soldiers opened fire at the vent shaft, but Link and Ichigo had dived down and grabbed Samus and the Paralyzer; having spent a moment to remember where they were. With Samus and her weapon, they ran out while the soldiers continue to shoot at nothing.

"Outside, you fools! Outside!" Conrad yelled, shooting at the door. Two guards were killed by Conrad, but the rest got out and gave chase. Their helmets cut short the blindness, and they opened fire once they saw the three. The armor that Ichigo dropped to enter the vent lay nearby, and Ichigo stopped to grab the second flash. As the soldiers got closer, Ichigo threw the second flash, giving him and Link the chance to dodge down a fork.

"Split up!" Conrad yelled, firing past the soldiers. They went separate directions, but due to Conrad shooting two of the soldiers and the second bang ended with one down, three went one way, and two went the way that Link and Ichigo followed. Conrad didn't follow, but waited in the middle. His face went neutral. Samus, a key component in his plans, was gone, with his escaped prisoners no less!

Well, one down anyway.

* * *

"Link? What're you doing here?" She hugged him. "Thank you for saving me!"

"Hey, hey! Calm down!" Link gently pushed her off. "We're trying to not get caught."

"Sorry." Samus looked over to Ichigo. "I'm sorry, who's this?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo. I'm the latest rookie." He shook her hand.

"Rookie?" Samus asked.

So Link explained the League, with Ichigo chiming in whenever he could.

"So Mario and Sonic are here as well?...are they still alive?" Samus asked.

"Believe it or not, yes. And Ichigo…where is Naruto?" Link turned to Ichigo.

"With the others. We managed to rescue them, and they're currently heading back to the ship. I headed back to get you, and you found what we came for. Good job." Ichigo gave a thumbs-up.

"You almost gave me away." Link handed the Paralyzer to Samus.

"Sorry." Ichigo bowed. "Now then, have you seen Syl?"

"That's the leader, right?" Asked Samus, re-adjusting her Paralyzer.

"He is, but he denies it." Link stated.

"Then we should find Luffy and Yoh. They're looking for him, as well as our stuff." Ichigo said.

"It wasn't in the prison storage?" Samus got up.

"I checked all the bins." Link replied. "Empty, save for your Paralyzer."

"Then it must be in Containment, along with your ship." She looked at the two. "They did take your ship and your equipment at the same time, didn't they?"

The two looked at each other and said at the same time, "Yyeeessss…."

"Then why do you think your equipment would be in the regular prison storage?" She asked.

The two had no answer. She sighed.

"First, let's get rid of the trackers." She played with the Paralyzer for a bit, then walked up to Link and stuck him in the chest. She pulled the trigger, and Link got zapped. Ichigo didn't have time to object as he also got shocked. Samus returned her Paralyzer back to normal.

"Ohh…trackers? What trackers?" Link asked, as soon as the numbness wore off.

"Organic trackers. They wanted to keep you in line. Conrad is a control freak."

"Ergh…" Ichigo shook his head. "So let's take him out. Less troubles that way."

"The only problem with that is Conrad really is in control. An all-out attack would be a action not worth taking, yet."

"Yet?" Ichigo inquired. "You have a plan?"

""Working on it. Come on, we're wasting time. Containment is this way…" She ran down the hall while the two followed.

* * *

Luffy chewed on a leg of meat.

Like always.

"Thanks." Yoh said, eating a chunk of the meat that Luffy found in the cafeteria.

Some poor soldier would go hungry today.

The two, in the search for Syl, found themselves in a building at least two miles away from Containment. While the rest of the freed League worked on freeing the ship, the shaman and pirate raided the kitchen and sallied forth to find their lost leader. Five buildings later, and all that happened was that two-hundred, sixty-and four guards were knocked silly and fifty prisoners being sent to lockdown were freed. So after using a laundry cart and a giant rubber band to rocket themselves into the sixth building, their search came to the first dead end.

"Shoot. Well, it was bound to happen. Better turn around and find another laundry cart." Yoh turned around. "Can you grab the rubber band, rubber-band man?"

"Actually…" Luffy grabbed Yoh by the shoulder and put him right in front of a door marked 'Kitchen'.

"You're still hungry?" Yoh smiled. "Well, we did go pretty far. I guess we could take a break." Luffy smiled and reached for the door. "As long as I get something to eat."

"Don't worry! That last kitchen was stocked, and considering the Federation, is will be too!" Luffy grabbed turned the doorknob. "And, hey? Syl could be here too. We open the door, and there he is, munching on a sandwich and he would say, 'Hey. How're you doing?' And then he would throws us some sandwiches." Luffy pushed the door forward.

Yoh's jaw dropped. Luffy didn't look in; rather at Yoh.

"Luffy."

"Yeah?"

"There's no sandwiches in there." Luffy, in the fear of no food, turned and followed Yoh's suit.

A huge metal tower had just grown into the kitchen and completely destroyed it. It had been done recently. Kitchen appliances were all over, torn apart. Voices could be heard, with the sound of metalwork and electric work in the air. Whatever this thing is, this tower was a No.1 priority. What it is.

"Wow…" Luffy said, remained in awe. Yoh looked around the doorframe. A staircase leading down. Good. Yoh ran forward and hit his back to the tower. He motioned for Luffy to come over. He followed. A part of the kitchen wall remained, so after a look around the tower, Yoh and Luffy ran to the wall, the closest cover near the staircase. A humming noise and the sight smell of fire came to into play as the two came closer. Jetpacks? Yoh turned around. Yeah. Yoh looked around the corner one more time.

And Luffy zipped past him, running down the stairs and hiding under them. Yoh's heart jumped. Yet, no one saw him. A last peek, and Yoh ran down the stairs, going halfway down and grabbing the edge and dropping under. He ran as far back as possible. He turned around. No one. Huh.

"Don't do that, Luffy." Yoh lightly whacked his pirate friend in the head.

"Sorry. But I wanted to see what this thing is." He pointed to a table where three men were discussing a blueprint. Yoh grabbed Luffy's head and hit the floor as two builders ran past carrying a long metal plate. They remained on the ground long after.

"Well, we're kind of stuck down here, thanks to you."

"Not for long. I…Monkey D. Luffy…have a plan!"

"Oh no."

* * *

"All right, new guys, this way."

"Ah…Rrgghh…ppggha…lakhga…" Yoh sputtered out. Luffy just smiled. "I…don't…believe…this."

Luffy's plan was to walk up and sign up as workers. After dragging Yoh over, the two were given worker's vests and shuffled over to orientation. Yoh since that point had been speaking gibberish, completely lost in a demented state.

"So…what is this thing?" Luffy asked. Yoh woke up to hear the explanation.

"You should already know. You had to get the code to enter, remember?" The supervisor pointed to the door.

"Just a quick reminder." Luffy asked.

The supervisor groaned. "This is an cannon that MR. Captain Arthur Conrad commissioned about three months ago. He put a huge fund into this; he wants this thing done now. In fact, today is the last day, if everything goes right." He waved his hand upwards, and both heroes looked up. The cannon indeed looked finished.

"Wow." Luffy said, again.

"Yep, when this cannon is finished, the Federation will start a new campaign. Which means more work, more hours, less pay. Honestly, you guys are lucky, coming in this late." The supervisor started to walk away, but Yoh walked up and stopped him. "You need something?" He asked.

"Yeah. What campaign? We weren't informed." Yoh decided to follow Luffy's lead, seeing how well it was working.

"Damn rookie, you weren't informed?" For a minute, Yoh thought that it didn't work. But the supervisor groaned again. "This cannon is…some sort of a mind-control device. Having to do with some sort of ancient weapon that deals with dead evil people. I really don't know, and don't care. And neither should you." He walked past Yoh, now stunned.

"Mind-control?" Luffy asked.

"We need to destroy this thing. Now, Luffy. Syl or no Syl. Right now." Yoh ran over to a ladder.

"Wait, hold on." Luffy, in a moment of actual smarts, tried to stop Yoh from blowing his cover early. He couldn't stretch without blowing his cover. So he ran over to follow and tried to grab Yoh. The two reached a platform a tenth up where two workers were working on an electric panel.

"Yoh, I may be not the smartest person, but we need a plan." Luffy said, with Yoh reaching down for a spare pipe.

"We don't have time. This cannon will cause some serious damage, possibly to our homes."

"But you don't have your sword."

"But I'm here." Amidamaru said, hiding behind the two to prevent from being seen by anyone who could see him. "Just use the pipe as a sword. I don't mind."

"And besides, coming from you Luffy, we got this far on your improve. So why stop now?"

"Well…umm…" Luffy thought for a bit.

Then he stretched his arms and knocked out the two workers.

"All right!" Yoh shouted. "Amidamaru, into the…pipe!" A quick flash, and the Oversoul came to life, and the panel died. Alarms went off, and area turned a light red. Luffy ran over to the ledge and jumped off, latching onto one of the jetpack workers. A quick struggle, and the worker fell onto the platform, with Luffy flying around.

He picked up Yoh and the two flew up to the next platform. At this point, the workers had armed themselves with simple weapons (The Federation hadn't removed lead weaponry, as it was cheap and easy to use.) and the soldiers arrived. Fire came from all directions, from the platforms, the floor and from the sky. Yoh flicked his pipe, and a wave of spirit energy flew in the direction of two jetpack workers. One got nicked and the second took the full force of the attack, yet both fell.

Halfway up was the second platform, with six generators giving power to tools and the cannon. Yoh got dropped off to destroy that with Luffy providing cover. With a cry of "Gum-Gum Balloon!" Luffy inflated his entire body and bounced back all the bullets, taking out at least six people.

"Hey!" The supervisor from before had just taken the elevator up to inspect a short in one of the generators. "What're you guys doing? Are you from PAX? Are you trying to steal our work?" He seemed more annoyed than angry.

"No. We're going to destroy this cannon." Yoh ran over to one generator and slashed clean through.

"Why?" The supervisor didn't seem to understand what was going on.

"If I can believe you, this weapon can control minds. This cannon can make a entire world bow down to one person. No one should ever have something like this. You should know better. Are you that more interested in your work to create a weapon for obviously evil organization?" Yoh pointed to the supervisor.

"Don't give me that. They pay, I build and boss around. That's all I care about, and everyone should. Besides, can you wait for me to finish and get paid before you blow it up?" The supervisor shrugged.

Luffy flew over and knocked him out.

"Thank you!" Yoh shouted.

"I'm heading up! Can you handle this on your own?" Luffy shouted back.

"Yeah! Good luck!" Yoh waved as Luffy shot up.

While the two were fighting it out, a third figure entered the destroyed kitchen. It wasn't a League member. A Federation uniform. He watched the whole thing unfold. When Yoh destroyed the last generator, the uniform pulled out a walkie-talkie.

"Conrad. Yes, they're attacking the cannon. Like you predicted, they don't know."

"_Good. Though it pains me, I'll be unable to fire the cannon myself. I'm…currently doing a quick errand. Give them fifteen minutes before setting it up. We have plenty of time. "_

"_Then I want you to fire at…"_

* * *

"Dammit!" Yelled Naruto.

"Language." Said Mario and Goku.

While Ichigo, Link, Samus, Luffy, and Yoh were running around, the rest of the League were working on freeing the Allmacht. An entire squad laid on the floor, bruised and bleeding. Sadly, none of the guards could recall the password for the release, seeing how many of them had giant lumps on their cranium. So Naruto went to work with no success.

"I can't believe this." Naruto said with an angry voice. "We're close, and yet…I can't touch it without being zapped!" Naruto kicked the keypad console.

"You weren't expecting it work, did you?" Asked Sora.

"Well, why don't you do something?" Naruto pointed to Sora.

"No keyhole, no magic." Sora threw his arms up.

Naruto kicked the console again for good measure. Nothing happened. Naruto let out a cry of frustration, and walked over to a crate and sat down. Goku walked up to the console.

"I like to see you try." Naruto said with a sneer.

Goku reached down and with both hands, yanked the console out of the ground. Electric sparks flew out and the console exploded. Goku didn't feel anything, or even react. Several electronic devices within Containment shut down instantly; the console wasn't the main, but the sudden removal of the unmovable console caused a power surge which destroyed the Containment power grid.

"GOKU!" Everyone yelled.

"What? I shut off the power."

"But now we can't get the Allmacht!" Sonic pointed to a row of doors.

"But now we can manually open the doors." Goku walked over to the first door and with a grunt, heaved the door open. An orange sleek ship laid inside. Not the Allmacht. So he walked over to the second door. Opened and empty. He continued. He either found nothing, something else, or some Federation junk; some higher ups used the empty Containment lockers as storage.

"Hey. Hold on." Mario said, walking into one of the 'storage' lockers. He dived into the biggest pile. His hand rose up a minute later, holding a katana.

"That's the Harusame! Which means…" Naruto shouted. He dived into the pile, nearly hitting Mario. The two started to dig up and recover everyone's equipment, creating a second pile. All the League members in the area grabbed their stuff and threw away what they borrowed, sans Syl's knife.

"Found it!" Goku shouted. Everyone ran down, and lo, the intact Allmacht was there. Sora pointed his Keyblade, and the ship hummed back to life.

"All right!" Sora yelled. "We got our tools, we got our ride, and we're back!"

"Hey!"

Link, Ichigo, and Samus had arrived, with Ichigo shouting.

"Well…shoot." Samus said. "I'm kinda useless, aren't I? You guys already got your stuff back. Maybe I should leave."

"No, no." Ichigo. "We got this far looking for you, so you ain't going NOWHERE!"

"Problems, Ichigo?" Asked Mario asked.

"Nah, just having a long day."

"Wait…Mario? Sonic?" Samus walked up to her old friends.

"Oh yeah, Samus!" The two said at the same time. The two looked at each other. "Hey!"

"Not now, guys!" Samus said, holding the two back, like she used to at the last Smash Bros. Tournament. "We need to get going….is that?" She pointed at the Allmacht, having just noticed it. (Samus seems to have tunnel vision.)

"Yes, our ship is made out of Gummi blocks..." Sora said drolly. "…yes, Gummi blocks. That's what their called."

"Umm…does it have weapons?" Asked Samus.

"We had to modify the ship twice to support the weapon system that Syl wanted. He's a little trigger happy as well." Link said.

"Right!" Samus shouted, as she ran up inside first. Everyone followed, wondering what their new companion wanted with their weapons. "Sora! I need your help!" She shouted from the cockpit. When Sora got there, Samus had sat down in the pilot's chair, trying to figure out the controls. She had pulled out a manual and started to both skim and guess the controls from common logic.

"Samus, right?" Sora asked.

"Yes. Sora, the Keyblade Master, right?" She asked.

"Yeah, but what do you want with our weapons?"

"Our enemy is building a weapon that's going to conquer the universe. I gave him the key, and now I need to destroy it. He has my Power Suit also." Samus had figured out the start-up sequence, and the engines roared loudly. The ship shot up and trembled violently

"Oh yeah, that weapon!" Link shouted, as he fell to the floor due to the sudden shock. "Yeah, it needs to be destroyed. But where do you think it is?"

"The radar!" Ichigo shouted, as Samus attempted to fly the ship. "See if we find the other missing guys! We're three short, right? Maybe one of them found the cannon!"

"What button is it?" Samus shouted over the engines.

"The red button, on your right!" Shouted Sora.

She pressed it, and the engines died. The ship hit the floor with a loud thud. Samus got knocked out of the chair, with Sora replacing her. He pressed a green button down and turned it, and the ship levitated back up, more smoothly this time. Ichigo hopped in the co-pilot seat before Samus could recover. He then activated the radar and set the scope for the League members.

"All right, this looks good. It seems like Yoh and Luffy are flying in circles around in an area northeast of here. I'll take a stab in the dark and say they found the weapon and trying to destroy it." He reported.

"It looks like we can fly the ship though the building, but not near the location. So we'll have to drop off at the closest area." Sora said, bringing up a holomap. He pointed to a building. "That's the drop-off. Hey!" He shouted behind him to the others. "Can you see that?"

"Yes! We're all okay with that!" Shouted back Sonic.

"Okay! It's going to get a little bumpy!" Sora shouted as he prepared the ship for tight travel.

"Hold on." Ichigo held up his hand. "Syl isn't moving. Weird."

"Where?" Sora looked on. "Huh. So he is. We'll get him after the cannon."

"But if the cannon ends up destroying the place?" Ichigo asked.

"As if! How big can it be?"

* * *

"GAH! WHY IS IT SO TALL?" Yoh shouted.

With all of the lead-armed workers down and out, more trained laser-armed men grab jetpacks and continued the assault on the two man army. Luffy had to let Yoh go to handle the flying brigade, and even then Yoh almost had fallen twice off the ladder. Luffy had taken fifteen shots of laser blasts, and continued to fly; making sure that his jetpack didn't get hit.

So Yoh had to climb up the 100 ft cannon on his own two arms and legs. Mind you, he started at the 30 ft mark. And the elevators required a keycard.

So, good luck.

Yoh had reached the halfway point, and the soldiers finally started to diminish; they just figured it out that Luffy didn't want them shooting him. Instead, they switched to snipers. In a way, this was better. They could shoot Luffy without him getting close. Yet, this allowed Luffy to dodge them and keep the line of fire away from Yoh. He couldn't attack them, but surely have Yoh safe.

Yoh took a quick breather on the side of the cannon. After a big intake, he readied himself to slash the exposed electric panel.

"Hold it." That voice…again?

The supervisor, with an eagle's egg bump on his noggin, had arrived by elevator again. He remained in his monotone mood, not raising his voice, despite his work being destroyed before his very eyes. He held a blaster rifle, and like a pro. He didn't look too happy, but not too angry. The word to best describe his current mood? Nonchalant.

"All right, stop. You've gone far enough." He locked and loaded.

"You again?" Yoh had also became nonchalant. It didn't matter how good of a shot that this man was, he could still take him, pipe or no pipe.

"Yes. You can destroy the outer shell after I finished it and get paid."

"Wait, outer shell?"

"_Word, did he just…"_ Conrad's voice sparked over the radio held by the uniform.

"Yes, sir." The man named Word said. "He gave away the secret." Word reached into his coat and removed a long pipe, a rifle butt, a scope and several parts to attach everything together. In a snap movement, everything came together to form a sniper rifle. Word with one hand held the rifle and with the other reached into his pocket and took a single laser shell and loaded.

"_Wait."_ Conrad said. "_Take aim. Don't fire until the latest moment. The cannon needs to charge and aim first. Is everything set?"_

"Yes, sir. Remaining in position." Word kept aim on the head on the supervisor.

Yoh felt uneasy. Not from the supervisor, but from a third person. His sixth sense was telling him that someone far, but close posed danger to this platform. Maybe him? Or perhaps the 'outer shell' thing was something that was a 'need-to-know' thing? He still faced the supervisor, who pointed his gun at Yoh's chest.

"Yes, an outer shell. That way in case of some snooper or something comes around wielding a rocket launcher, the cannon will still be able to work. That's what the big-wig told me, anyway."

"Wait. Was the cannon already built?"

"Yeah. The job was to build protection around the stone cannon. Let me tell ya, I've worked in construction all my life, and this is the first stone thing I worked on."

"…umm, are you going to shoot me, or tell me your life stories?"

"More of Side A, a little bit of Side B." He slowly pulled back the trigger. Instead of firing, the rifle stored up energy, with the whole thing glowing a dark purple light. Yoh didn't fully comprehend what would happen, but he knew a little too well about taking on a man with a charging blaster rifle pointed straight at him at point-blank range.

So the supervisor started to ramble on about his life. I would show what he said, but it would be a big waste of time. He kept the rifle on Yoh; the whole life story thing being exactly what it is, a time waster.

So Yoh focused in on the third person. He couldn't as much turned his head without getting a tongue lashing from the supervisor. His eyes scanned the room, trying to see something out of place. Being 50 ft above the ground only showed two things. The wall and Luffy dodging. The threat must be behind him, or on sides he couldn't see. So he stepped to the side, hoping to get the supervisor to circle.

"I'm not stupid." He let go of the trigger, and a laser blast the size of a Wii went straight at Yoh's face. Yoh rolled off to the left, and the blast hit the wall. Yet, this still allowed Yoh to move to a different place. He could see a window and something shining. The shine moved over to the left, then obscured by the supervisor, charging up again.

So the outer shell did mattered to someone. Probably this Conrad guy. When will the supervisor be killed? Yoh needed more information about the shell.

Yoh smiled. "Hey! Follow me!" He ran backwards and off the platform to latch onto under the platform, but making sure that his hands couldn't be seen. The supervisor ran over and shot downwards, but hit nothing. Yoh pulled himself up and kicked the supervisor right in the chest. Rolling forward, he grabbed the man and ran to the ladder, skimming down the ladder with the body.

Word groaned. The two went too far down to get a good aim. He activated a timer for the cannon, for twenty minutes. He locked the thick metal door behind him. He wasn't going to let anyone else in, let it be League or some dumb officer.

He walked calmly down the stairs. His quickly calculated how fast he needed to walk down the stairs, where would the best place for the shot at that time, and where he should aim.

He never failed math.

He kicked the doors open, short-circuiting the passcode box. He aimed the rifle straight where he estimated at.

Not a bulls-eye, but it hit the kid in his leg. He fell down to the 20ft platform, from five feet up. The supervisor harmlessly bounced off Yoh. Word never smiled, but if he did, he would now. Pressing a button on his wristcuff, the elevator descended down. As Yoh and the supervisor wriggled in pain (The supervisor was over doing it.), Word walked through the battlefield to the elevator, clubbing two soldiers that stood in his way.

"YOH!" Luffy had finally seen his friend, having thought that the loud boom came from one of his snipers. He remembered seeing one of the jetpack troopers doing something to his jetpack. He reached behind his back to his jetpack, and he pushed a knob. The jetpack roared, filled with more energy. After taking a second to control the speed, he quickly dived and grabbed Yoh and flew upwards.

"Why…didn't you…do that before?" Yoh asked through gritted teeth.

"Didn't think of it!" Luffy smiled. If Yoh wasn't in extreme pain, he would punch Luffy.

"Wait!" Yoh pointed to the still moaning supervisor. "We need to protect him! He knows about the outer shell!"

"What outer shell? And from whom?"

"THAT GUY!" Yoh yelled, as Word, a tall man wearing thick tall clothes and a large hat to hide his face and most of his body, came out of his elevator, rifle still in hands. The supervisor got up, and quickly grabbed his gun and pulled off a quick shot, with Word just simply titling his head to dodge. A long leg from the man knocked the supervisor's gun clean out of his hands and over the railings, K. a man below.

"Hey! I'm just the guy who orders around the workers! Just pay me the minimal wage and I'll leave!" For once, the supervisor showed a small bit of emotion, fear.

"Normally, that condition would work fine. But now, the only thing you get is death." Word locked and loaded the gun with a new bullet. "Any last requests?"

The supervisor remained in silence.

Word shrugged, and aimed.

And over the railing he went, by a rubber fist. The rifle bounced a couple of times, and laid to rest hanging over the ledge and under the railing.

"All right, we saved you!" Yoh shouted, as Luffy gently laid him back on the cannon. "Now, the outer shell. If we wanted to destroy it, what is the best way?"

"But…"

"WILL YOU SHUT IT ON YOUR PAYCHECK!" Yoh yelled.

"Fine." The supervisor regained his normal composure. "If you want to destroy the entire cannon, instead of the second shell, head to the very top. They're loading the power source into it right now. Do something with it, and expect a huge boom." He ran over to the elevator. "And now, I'll be leaving. I had enough of this!" The elevator shot down.

"Yoh, can you…" Luffy bent down.

"Nah." Yoh brushed off Luffy's hand. "You need to destroy this thing first. Deal with the power thing, and then come and get me." Yoh laid down. "I'll take a nap. The soldiers don't seem interested in me."

"All right!" Luffy cranked up the power to the next level. "Be back in a jiff!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" Yoh said with a laugh.

Luffy went up like a rocket. 30ft. 40 ft. 50ft. 60ft. 70ft. 80ft. 90ft. 110ft.

Oops. Right into the ceiling.

Luffy pulled his head out, and dropped onto the rim on the cannon. A automatic crane had hold of a giant metal box, which only held a small black-and-purple orb. Luffy wounded his right arm up tight. When the top of the box came into eye level;

"GUM-GUM RIFLE!" This 'rifle' hit the box hard enough to take the arms with it when the thing bounced off the opposite side of the rim and down to the ground below. The box, with the momentum from Luffy, crashed right through the 90ft platform, the 80ft, barely made through the 70ft, and finally laid to rest on the 60ft, creating a crater. The platform wouldn't hold for long.

Luffy ran over to the other side and jumped down the holes, using the jetpack to glide down. He landed, and tried to punch the core to oblivion. Actually, his hands took more damage than the core. But he continued never the less. Eventually, the platform broke, and the two of them fell to the next platform. Luffy groaned, having landing on the jetpack. He removed, and the thing sparked. The core had finally reached a stopping point; lightly bouncing upon arrival.

"L…fy." Yoh's shouting could be heard, but unclear. Luffy held onto railing and stretched down to hear better.

"Having problems?" Asked Yoh when Luffy came into eye contact.

"I can't break it!" He showed Yoh his bruised knuckles. "Got any plans?"

"You cannot destroy what can't be destroyed." Both heroes turned to the voice. Word had just climbed over the ledge. His hat had fallen off, and his face could seen. A middle-aged man with a thick white beard. His clothes had been torn; the fall had several stops along the way. He threw off his cloak, showing his uniform.

"Well, thanks for telling us that. We'll just move the thing far away." Yoh said, gathering strength to stand up. He didn't what he could do. This guy took a kick from Luffy, arguably the second physically strongest in the League, and went over the ledge for a 20 ft. drop. All this did just mildly annoyed him.

"Right. The best plan to stop us is to remove the Black Mass from the station. But that would be problem. For you." He ripped off his uniform's arms, revealing two silver metallic arms. "As you can see, Conrad has been planning this for a while. Forcing the pirates into taking over the stations for Samus to intervene, having the cannon recovered, getting Samus to grab the core and leave a trail for the inquiry squad to find." He pressed a insignia, and his arms came to live with electricity.

"Thanks for the exposition." Yoh said.

"Humph. I expect you to tell everyone. But when the inquiry squad asks questions, your story will be too…perfect. The squad doesn't take things with a grain of salt." He punched forward, a ball of energy shooting forward at Luffy. Luffy dived under, and whipped out his leg to trip Word. His foot hit something hard; Word's legs must also be made out of metal.

Word grabbed him by his neck. "Conrad knows perfectly how to work the Federation. He planned it months ago, and put it into action only a week ago. The past two days has kept us busy preparing for the launch, and finally…" He checked his watch while Luffy choked. "…we have ten minutes." He threw Luffy off the ledge, sending him flying up 10 ft up, leading to a 30 ft drop.

**9:50**

"Only problem." Yoh had managed to move to the railing. "The core isn't in the cannon…no, I bet there's already one in, and that's just the replacement."

"Correct. You catch on." Word charged forward; a barrier of electricity surrounding him. Yoh dived under the platform, and hanged onto the underside support beam. His leg screamed.

**9:32**

"You're lucky." Word lifted a heavy metal leg. "The platforms are made from anti-shock metal. So my equipment is a bit useless here. Yet." His foot came down, shaking the platform violently. One of Yoh's wrapped arm came loose. He quickly grabbed back on. But he did feel a bit sick.

"Please surrender. It will be easier for you, and less a waste of energy for me." A second stomp knocked loose a bolt holding up the support beam. Yoh held tight, but his inquired leg hit against the platform, making Yoh's eyes tear up.

**8:57**

"We're aiming for the Mushroom Kingdom." Word tapped his foot, sending some vibrations. "It's a long shot from here, but if the cannon is what it's said to be, then everything is fine."

"Why…ergh…are you telling me everything?" Yoh shouted.

"Because. There's nothing you can do." A third stomp, and Yoh lost his grip, and nearly fell, if not just barely grabbing back with both hands. His body hanged in mid-air. Going against the normal idea, he looked down. Luffy's head had became buried in the floor. He wasn't moving, but Yoh knew he was alive. But how long would he be out?

**8:28**

"I think I'm done playing with you." Word jumped off the side, and on the way down, grabbed Yoh by the legs and slammed him to the first platform. Yoh screamed in burning pain, as he landed on the wound. Word gently placed his left foot on Yoh's back, slowly applying pressure. Poor Yoh didn't know how long he would last.

**8:02**

"8 minutes to the fire." Word checked his watch, while still applying pressure to Yoh's back. "We need to expand the Federation, expand our protection. If we don't, this new 'macroverse' will fall to chaos. You're a hero, right? So why are you trying to stop us?"

"…wish I could talk…" Yoh managed to sputter out.

"Hmm. False heroes are a threat to all. I must eliminate you." He held his hand close to Yoh, charging up a powerful energy ball.

**7:50**

A explosion happened, but not the 10ft platform.

"More?" Word shouted, looking up. Naruto was the first to come through, throwing kunais at Word. Word threw the energy ball at him. The kunais disintegrated but the attack missed Naruto, as he used a clone to pull him over to the side. Naruto ran alongside the cannon, throwing more kunais at the officer. Word put on his barrier, and again, disintegrating the kunais.

Naruto got close enough to hit Word with a Rasengan. The barrier couldn't hold, and Word rolled back into the rail-guard, but despite his huge size, he just bent it. He pushed him out and took a swing, but Naruto just didn't dodge, but grabbed Yoh and jumped over the edge, safely landing on the ground below. Word followed, but a punch from Yusuke sent him into the floor.

**7:14**

Word jumped back up, facing Yusuke and the recently arrived Ichigo. "Ah. The Spirit Detective and the Substitute Reaper. I've heard things about you. You're stubborn fools."

"Well, you have to be one to be a hero, right?" Asked Ichigo.

"Yes." Yusuke said, firing a Reigun shot. Word used both hands to block, but that caused problems, as the machines in his arms exploded. His left arm slumped. Ichigo ran forward and jumped over Word, slashing the right arm. Sparks flew, and the arm fell. Ichigo landed and pointed the sword at Word's back.

"Well, so far we only fought against normal thugs." Ichigo put emphasis on 'thugs.' Word flinched. "So far, you're the guy who managed to survive fighting against four of us. That's something you should feel good about." Word didn't say anything. More so, his face became strained. With a powerful cry, he lifted his cybernetic arms back up, and quickly punched Ichigo. He blocked Yusuke's elbow, and returned the favor.

**6:45**

"I'm a trained hand-to-hand combatant, going beyond peak condition. True, I may not be able to handle more than three of you at a time, but I can surely take you two on and win!" Word stripped off some devices, and his arm flesh could be seen.

"You're a robot?" Yusuke shouted.

"I'm a cyborg. I still have all of my flesh, but certain parts of my body aren't. My heart allows me to survive conditions and jump me full of adrenaline in crisis. My nerves can react to threats with enough time for my computerized brain to come up with the best plan of action. My muscles are artificial, but can build to levels beyond steroids usage." His arms got larger.

**6:13**

"Good!" Yusuke yelled. "All of the sudden, this fight got awesome!" Yusuke bolstered up. "I will tell you what! I won't use my powers if you just fight me! 1-on-1! Is that okay?"

"Fine!" The two charged, and exchanged fists; all their attacks collided with the other's attack. Word's legs were too heavy to pull off a kick that wouldn't keep him safe, so Yusuke had two very strong advantages. Word had to use the more defensive strategy, blocking both arms and legs. If his equipment was still working, this fight would be over in seconds. Ichigo had went to work with the others to get the core.

**5:44**

"I need to find my Power Suit." Samus said, leaving the group. She withdrew her Paralyzer as a new wave of soldiers came in, carrying heavier weapons such as assault rifles and rocket launchers. Yusuke and Word were just fighting all over the place, thus loose objects were flying all over the place. Boxes rained down, discarded guns got kicked into people's shins, electronic equipment became bombs, and some soldiers became projectiles.

"It has got be here." Samus said, taking cover to avoid being shot up. After subduing some guys, she turned on a tracking computer she stole from a office near Containment. She typed in her suit's information, and activated the tracker. Samus guessed right, her suit laid just behind where Yusuke and Word were pilling boxes with their fists.

Shoot.

**5:01**

Samus waited; the soldiers were piling in by the numbers. A rocket blew away her cover, and a second one barely went over her head. She bolted over to the where the tracker told, and dived in, avoiding both laserfire and a flying Yusuke. After pushing Yusuke back up, she started to throw objects that she could throw, making sure to hit soldiers and block missiles.

There it is! Her Power Suit, in a locked cage.

She turned around and kicked away a small box coming her away. He examined the lock. Simple code-pad lock. Conrad must have been a little behind to get a better cage. The Heroic League must have been that delay. Good. A single shot was all that was needed to free her Suit. And hey, the Suit opened up fine! Thank god for the League.

**4:23**

"All right, who wants a real fight?" She shouted, gathering the attention of the soldiers. They paused, and let loose the heaviest assault this station ever had. Samus smiled. The last fight she had with her suit on featured combatants with firearms that were discarded ten years ago.

Oh, look. She still had her complete weapon library. At last, she started out as a ass-kicker.

A quick charged shot destroyed the rockets coming at her. Moving forward with every step, not stopping for anyone or anything, she took only shot per soldier, just a quick aim and fire. They fell. One got behind her and attacked her with a shock baton, but a quick side step and shot solved that problem. Several more rockets came to her. She jumped onto the rockets; sending them stumbling, hitting random targets such as the floor, objects in mid-air, and other soldiers. She fired off her own missiles, not to kill, but to freeze, using the upgrade she picked up at the Biologic Research Station. She charged the Diffusion Missile under the hellfire, and aimed the missile at 10ft platform support. Not only did it destroy the support by freezing and crashing, but it also froze the soldiers near the falling platform. The platform didn't kill anyone, but the shockwave freed the iced men, subduing them.

Three big soldiers barged in, knocking anyone in the way, even their own comrades. They carried giant miniguns, with rocket launchers attached on the side. They fire both weapons at the same time, destroying everything that could be destroyed. Samus worked on evasion, getting behind the cannon and trying to get a shot. No good angle to shoot at. She looked up, and shot her grapple beam up to the 20ft platform, going all the way up, and continuing; the big soldiers stopped firing and lifted up, only for a falling ball to send them into the walls with a Power Bomb.

She landed, and continued to continue to assault the entire army. The soldiers kept piling into the room, to the point where the bodies piled up, both breathing and unconscious. She just stood her ground, not bothering to dodge anything. The gunfire she withstood; the missiles she destroyed. She circled around and fired wildly at the soldiers, taking time only when a missile came at her. Her suit took massive damage from all sides, but she stood her ground, taking down all you fought against her.

The soldiers, unlike those in media, were smart. They knew when to retreat. And they did. Samus never had a thought of moving. She was the unmovable object, and the soldiers could be considered the unstoppable force, considering their battle record.

And they surrendered.

Samus took a long breath. Her suit had taken moderate damage, but thankfully, her weapon systems remained intact. This time, she would keep everything. Federation or no Federation. Extensive damage or no extensive damage.

And this League thing may be the ticket to keeping all of that, and possibly even more.

Calm down, she thought. Don't get too power-hungry. Revenge is something that would be put aside.

"_Aran_!" Conrad!

Samus fired in the direction of the voice. It hit a voice-box.

"_You really messed me up! I'm impressed, really_!" He was laughing. He enjoyed this.

**2:05**

"_But in two minutes, my plans will be finished! The cannon will fire, and the Mushroom Kingdom will join the Federation, and we shall protect it from all threats!"_Samus looked up. The cannon started to shake. Some soldiers on the platforms dropped their weapons.

"Damn! We're running out of time!" Ichigo yelled. He and Goku were trying to remove the core from inside the cannon, as destroying was impossible thanks to the second layer. Inside, the energy was gathering; a black-darkish purple globe. Dark Mass' insane energy could potentially cause a person to explode from the inside, due to the evil nature of it. The two could survive due to their strong structure, but it was getting tougher.

"I see it!" Goku pointed to the core. Sadly, not it's box.

"How are we going to carry it out?" Ichigo asked.

"Why should we carry it out?" Goku asked.

"No. Destroying it could result in a meltdown. We could be vaporized!"

"That's why I got these from a soldier!" Goku removed some C-4, along with a detonator.

"Why did that soldier have those?" Ichigo asked.

"…actually, I helped him." Goku said with a serious tone in his voice.

**1:17**

Neither had any experience in explosives, and time was running short. Thankfully, the previous person holding the C-4 had already wired up to explode. Ichigo quickly planted the explosives in a 2ft radius from the core. Goku grabbed Ichigo and flew out, and as soon as the two cleared out, Ichigo hit the detonator, and a tower of flame came spilling out of the cannon.

"_Pretty good, attacking the monster from the inside. 'A' for effort. You wasted your time trying to destroying it. Modern day weapons can't pierce the heart. Thirty seconds."_

**0:28**

Samus looked up and saw the replacement core, and Luffy's discarded jetpack, still on the 50ft. platform. It looked broken, but operational.

No modern day weapons, huh?

She tethered her up.

**0:20**

She turned the jetpack over. Her Suit quickly assessed the problem; a loose wire. She placed the wire back in, and it glowed back to green.

**0:12**

She tied the jetpack to the core. It was loose, but it would work. She turned the jetpack on, and held the core up, holding it back.

**0:07**

The black-darkish purple light was pouring out of the cannon. Aiming, she threw cube up. The jetpack carried it all the up. Samus didn't know what would happen, but she hoped that something good came out of this.

**0:00!**

A huge laser tore out of the cannon, literally tearing the cannon in half, thanks to the damage Yoh caused. But instead of going all the way to the Mushroom Kingdom, the entire laser was stopped by the flying core. The laser and core fused, and the jetpack that loyally served Luffy disintegrated; a sacrifice if you will. The cage holding the replacement core also disintegrated. The entire room shook, as the cannon fell to pieces and the two cores fusing. Both cannon layers slowly disintegrated as the two Black Mass cores came to together. Soldiers ran out, carrying out the unconscious bodies. Samus dived down and ran away from the debris, along with the others.

"_Well, this is something you don't see every day." _Conrad said.

Yusuke and Word continued to fight, despite the falling debris, and the evil energy choking the air. Both had taken huge damage from the chaos, but neither could have the upper hand. Yusuke's right leg was a little broken from kicking Word's leg and threw out his shoulder from ramming into a box. Word had to remove both appliances from his arms to get his arms moving, but his arms were still strained from the destruction of the appliances. His chest had been piled-drived by Yusuke.

"Give up! If you can beat me, you will still have to survive the destruction of the base!" Word mustered enough strength to use both hands to hammer Yusuke's head, causing him to stumble to one knee. A low kick to the chest sent Yusuke half-way across the room. Black Mass had started to rip the floor up, so Yusuke's back hit a rising chunk and slumped over.

"Destruction? Is the core thing really that destructive?" Yusuke asked, holding back the pain.

"Well, no. Conrad?" Word looked up.

"_Yes. Blow up one core, and it can create a small rift that could rip apart a two-story building. But if two are fused, they create the greatest mystery in space._"

"A BLACK HOLE?" Everyone turned around. Syl, holding both his hat and torque wrench, ran in, and fell to the ground. He got up and ran further in, giving everyone a better look. He had a boot-mark on his face, and looked dirty and bruised. "GUYS! EVERYONE OUT!"

"Syl! Syl!" Ichigo ran over and grabbed Syl. "What happened to you?"

"I fought Conrad. I got only slashed once before he kicked my head and threw me in a cell…NOT NOW. BLACKHOLE! BLACKHOLE!"

"_Your leader…"_

"NOT THE LEADER!"

"…_is correct. The two cores will create a black-hole which will swallow everything around it, until there is nothing left, in which it will swallow itself. Perhaps that is where the Black Mass comes from. But I have to warn you. If you leave now, there is a 0.097% chance of you safely escaping from the gravitational pull. As of ten minutes ago, I left the Araneus, and Word? Teleport."_

"Right." Word tapped a medal, and he vanished in a green light.

"_My plans ended here, thanks to you. Samus, you were the insurance. But now you can't afford to pay back the damage you and your new friends caused. Die here. Vanish forever in the dark cold void. My plans will come to fruition one day. And I will make sure I will help the new worlds from all threats. Please realize this during your internment." _And Conrad's voice died.

"So…crap." Sora said. "Woah! I said 'crap'!"

"It's our last moments." Sonic said meekly. "If there is a God, he's giving us a free pass."

"Actually." Samus stepped forward. "I can try something. It's crazy, but I think it will work."

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Syl yelled.

"Why are you still shouting?" Sonic asked.

"CAPS LOCKS FOR THE WIN! AND IM REALLY WIGGING OUT, MAN!"

Samus looked around. Like in all video games, the destruction had left platforms to get closer to the awakening black hole. She jumped to the first one, and it instantly crumbled, leading her to move fast up to the top. She fired her tether at the highest platform, thankfully supported. She activated her visor computer.

"Hmm. Okay. My suit will need a long cool-down after this. But it will work."

Samus entered the password to the Zero Laser. Due to the continuous nature of her suit being damaged, she had to set up passwords for the more dangerous weapons her Power Suit had. The Zero Laser was one of them. Her arm cannon shifted into Z.L. position. The energy built up. The platform shook. Samus hoped that the laser didn't destroy the platform. She had to take a chance, or everyone would have their matter stretched and contorted.

"Activate Traction Boots." He voice said under the charging laser. Her feet clamped to the floor.

"ZERO LASER!" The huge blue laser got swallowed up by the baby black hole. Samus started to be dragged, and the platform swayed. She pulled back, and the black hole started to warp. Dark lighting raged from it, and a small wind storm brewed up. Samus pressed more power into it, and the black hole grew bigger in anger. The sound of the wind grew sharp. Samus held down and moved forward. The black hole started to shrink. Samus put more power into the cannon, even going as far to use half her life-support. The entire cannon room shook even harder, to the point where pieces were shot into space. Thankfully, the Araneus' life support prevented anything else from being jettisoned out.

Samus could feel her suit also fall apart. A shin came loose, and a shoulder just hanged off her arm. The blackhole started to get a little bigger and swallowing debris.

"_I guess I got it wrong." _Samus thought.

"_Oh well."_

Placing every single ounce of strength and even the reserved energy, she threw the strongest laser she ever fired in her entire life. The platform she stood on broke, and it flew towards the black hole. Samus didn't flinch, as the closer she got, the smaller the black hole got. With a loud bang, the black hole exploded, taking both cores, along with the remains of the cannon, to oblivion. The platform crumbled, and Samus landed hard, and her suit fell to pieces.

"Did she just…" Sora tried to say.

"_Yes. I can't believe it, but yes. Samus Aran broke the laws and destroyed a black hole by overloading it. Impossible, but everyone saw that. Samus Aran has broken the impossible."_ Conrad spoke. His voice had no emotional.

"We beat you, Conrad." Samus got up, tired and weary, but still working. "You lost. This is will be your only warning." She withdrew her Paralyzer. "Leave me, and my…friends…alone. We will come for you." She fired one shot, and the intercom exploded.

* * *

"Dammit!"

Word's face became legitimately surprised. In all of his years of working with Conrad, he never heard him curse, even when he actually lost, which also was rare. Conrad never showed anger, but this was the closest thing that Word seen to actual anger and defeat.

But that lasted a minute. Conrad buried his head in his hands, and came out composed. He slightly smiled.

"Well, that backfired horribly, didn't it, old friend?" Conrad asked.

"Yes, sir. I take it that wasn't a huge of a loss?"

"Yes." Conrad withdrew his personal Black Mass core. "I still have this. And there is plenty of other chances out there. The Araneus is just the test. We can improve from this. Though the League was a unseen event, we can expect them to be there when we next strike. And there will be more that next time. But that's where things get better. There is more worlds to help. We can prepare for them." Conrad tapped a button. A cyber map of the Federation territory flipped over to show a larger map; the entire known macroverse, downloaded from the Allmacht.

"You see this, Word? Worlds in need. The Federation needs to expand. Not for us; but everyone. The Federation works."

"I agree." Word said.

Conrad took a quick breath. "No one can predict the future. We can't be 100 percent sure if a man will go one way or the other. If I, with my record, couldn't create the foil-proof plan; it doesn't exist. I have to decide what path we should take in just seconds. Seconds! Just mere, seconds! I don't have a gift, I just think fast. I look at a person and decide on the course of action they should take. I go with it, and live with it."

"Even a chess grandmaster fails. But they know that a defeat can lead a future victory."

* * *

"Well…I knew that the captain would take my idea and roll with it. He's-s-s like a dog who s-s-smells a good treat, and will go anywhere and do anything to get it."

In a meteorite also drifting aimlessly in space, there was a lab. Ridley's lab.

Everyone knew that he died during the second attack on Mother Brain. The next two encounters with the dragon was a zombie and a clone.

Yet, a clone created by the dragon had been made many years ago. It woke up just a month ago. And set in motion the plan that Conrad had stolen.

"Log end." Ridley's clone shut off the recording. Having no army, no projects, no idea what to do, the recordings were the only thing the clone could do. Even though he had the memory of the original before he died (And with reports what happened afterwards.), the original just had one mission, to spread the Black Mass.

The computer screens got static. Ridley hissed.

"Hello, Ridley! Remember me?"

Ridley cursed under his breath. Bowser. The original didn't have a high opinion on the Koopa King.

"Yes-s-s, and no. I'm just a clone."

"A clone of Ridley?"

"No, of a s-s-space s-s-slug…YES-S-S, YOU MORON." Bowser flinched at the sharp tone, but recovered fast.

"Just checking, I've heard of clones that weren't exact copies of the original. But anyway, you look bored."

"…correct."

"So, what have you heard of your rival? I mean your original's rival?"

"S-s-samus Aran just s-s-stopped a plan of my original. Es-s-scaped with a group called the Heroic League."

"Thought so! We have been tracking them for a while. If you want to…"

"Fine. I'll join." Ridley groaned.

"Great! We're hiding out at this location." A second screen showed a map, with a red dot showing the location of the secret hideout. "Come on over! GWAHAHA!" Bowser laughed and the screen shut down.

Ridley thought about it. Would the original team up with, well…anyone? Besides the non-defunct Pirates?

But wait. Would should he follow a dead man's lead? Why did he stay in a rock? On the orders from a ex-dragon?

Not anymore. Ridley grabbed a dimensionally transcendental box that the original had worked on and never promptly finished and filled it with the more important materials, including journals and notes, some of the computers, and other stuff. He set the last remaining computer to self-destruct, and left. After two minutes of flying, the meteoroid vanished in a flash of light.

The clone, no, Ridley The Second decided. He would outlast the original. Outdo the original. Do what the original couldn't do.

He would replace the original in every aspect. The original just killed several worlds.

But he would destroy a entire galaxy.

* * *

It took a while, but Samus was cleared, and given a apology. Conrad didn't have time to clear the tapes for the cameras, so he was given a huge bounty for his capture, dead or alive. The crew on the Araneus agreed to let the League and Samus to dock anytime, for free refuel and repairs. After getting everything back, getting Samus' ship into the Allmacht, and taking a whole day off, the League plus one left for the next location.

Samus hadn't much of a chance to talk with Syl. She had to be taken to the hospital ward after the battle, she fainted just ten minutes later. When she woke up, it was the next day, and Syl had vanished, again. Sora and Goku had been looking for him for ten hours before they found him back in the former cannon room. He didn't come to hide, but instead to fall asleep. He wanted to be alone.

Syl had been quiet after the battle. Oddly quiet. Even when he was serious, he did talk a lot. Syl did have a habit of talking fast and slurring his words together, even when serious. But after the battle, he took his time talking, but he didn't talk that much to begin with.

Samus found him on a bench in a corridor near the VR Room. The dark, path-least-taken corridor.

"Hello." She said. Syl turned to see her smiling face.

"Hi."

"Can I…"

"Sure." Samus sat down next to him. He didn't seem to up for talking.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Just a mood." Syl said. "Have…have you ever woke up one morning and decided to act a certain way the entire day? You wake up a good mood, and even the news of your pet dying can't faze you. You wake up in a gloom, and the 1st place in a contest doesn't lift your spirits. Have you?"

Samus blinked. "At times. But if your friends are right…"

"They often are, over me."

"…you've been in this mood for two days."

"Yeah. I don't know. I'm not bipolar, or tripolar. I just have these moods. It takes a lot to bring me up or down. I have been that way my entire life." Syl looked at her. "Am I talking too much? Am I being awkward?"

"No! No." Samus looked at him more closely. "I guess you're not a real social person."

"No. Never was. Always better with fictional characters and fantasies, I guess." Syl looked down.

"And the Heroic League was one of the fantasies."

"Yeah. The Heroic Friends…" Syl got that far before Samus started to giggle. "Yes. It used to be just you, me, Link, Mario, and some others. I forget, that was eight years ago. But, like everyone else, I wanted to fight evil alongside heroes I knew."

"What changed?"

"I learned about something I never knew about myself. Not my Spirit powers. Something different…which I will tell everyone later. Wait."

Samus held her hands up in defense. "Okay."

Syl sighed. "You know that I'm the author's persona?"

"…yes."

"Don't be afraid to make fun of me, order me around, push me, or use me. I don't mind."

"Syl, don't be a pity party."

"I had a lot of those back then. I kinda lived in my world. Had some real problems. But I do deserve a lot of things said to me. I'm just the founder. If you want to lead, go ahead."

"Syl, stop."

"Okay. Sorry."

"Well…"

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Uhh…"

'I have the effect on people." Syl got up to leave.

"No, wait. I just don't much to say."Samus said.

"Do you want company?" Syl asked.

"Yes. Do you mind?"

"…I will never mind, for my friends. Go ahead, spill." Syl smiled, and sat down.

And so, as the ship drifted in space to the next locale, Syl listened to Samus' story. He kept quiet. He liked a good, long story.

And thus, a slow bond started to form.

* * *

'_Gasp'. This was a LONG one. But you knew this. You read it. And, by god, this one drained me. I did had ideas for the story, but they just vanished while typing this. I lost hours of sleep over this._

_Yet, I apologize for the delay._

_COMING SOON:_

**EPIC 13: THE SOLDIER OF THE EARTH.**


End file.
